The trio consists of organist Ruth Hammond and her husband Scott on drums (We are assured that the name is entirely coincidental), plus James Forster on guitar. Together, they play on a national basis and have built up quite a following, and they fill in the rest of their time gigging separately: James, for example, also fronts his own blues band "Morganfield" around the Bristol area where he plays everything from Rhythm and Blues to Jazz and Funk.

The bands biography describes their music as "scorching Hammond Organ grooves from the 60's and 70's". This, of course, is an entirely different style of music to the modern norm, which is why we think it is worth mentioning here. Believe me, there is a place for every style in the music world, and this talented trio seem to have found their niche and become popular in their own area.

The band have certainly been around the circuit. Scott has played with New York alto saxophonist Herb Geller as well as London's Dave O'Higgins, Bobby Wellins and Alan Barnes - and just to show that he can play right across the spectrum of musical styles, he has also gigged with Limahl from Kajagoogoo.

Ruth and Scott both studied at Leeds college of music, gaining a B.A. in jazz studies. Ruth played for a week at Ronnie Scott's Jazz club in London, and achieved status of runner-up in the "Young Jazz Musician of the Year" contest in 1988. In recent years, Ruth has also been a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) and appeared a number of times on television.

KlubKat caught up with the trio recently and put some of our own questions to them:

KK: How would you describe your music style? It obviously isn't what most people nowadays would describe as mainstream, so what brings audiences to your concerts?
SH: If we had to pin down the style of music we play, I guess it would be a mixture of jazz and funk with elements of other styles creeping in. James (guitar) has a lot of blues in his playing which adds yet another flavour. There is something about the Hammond organ sound that has a 'feel good' vibe to it that people can easily relate to. Also, the versatility of the instrument enables us to cover a lot of different styles and grooves, even though there's just three of us. For example, the bass sound on the organ really cuts through for jazz tunes and even for more 'in your face' funk tunes. Also, there are infinite possibilities with drawbar settings that give us a lot of different sounds. In short, there's something in our music for almost everyone!
KK: How long have you been playing together and how did you all initially meet?
SH: We've been together for almost two years but our musical history goes back a bit further. I (Scott) met Ruth on a jazz course and played in various bands with her on sax, piano and organ... and of course... I married her! I met James in Bristol (our home town) when we were teenagers but we didn't play together much until the trio started. Ruth met James through me.

KK: Ruth, how does playing with the trio compare to previous work with NYJO? I've seen NYJO play on several occasions and have always been very impressed, but I certainly don't recall them dragging too many Hammond organs around with them...! What have you done on TV?
RH: I played tenor saxophone in NYJO although they did ask me to record on organ with them but I felt it was time to leave because of other musical commitments. I really enjoyed being part of such a big sound but you don't get a lot of freedom. There's a lot more room for interplay between the musicians in an organ trio setting which I love. I also like playing the bass lines, comping and soloing - it's a real challenge but it's worth it because you have a lot of control - and there's such a full sound with the organ. The most recent TV work I have done has been with "Morcheeba" but they also televised The Young Jazz Musician of the Year in 1998 (I came runner up). This was a great experience although I'm not overly comfortable with the idea of musicians competing.
KK: How often do you play?
SH: Generally we do one or two gigs a week plus as many rehearsals as we can fit in. We all play for a living and are involved in other projects but we are probably most satisfied when we've got a gig with this band.
KK: Are there any moments you would like to share with our readers? Moments that have made you particularly proud, funny stories, that sort of thing.
SH: No funny stories as yet - apart from drunk people trying to have a conversation with Ruth or James in the middle of their solos - but that's something all musicians have to put up with once in a blue moon!
KK: What are your plans for the future?
SH: Well, we're all writing tunes for the trio - I think we have about eight originals so far - and we plan to record them all and make an album. We'll then sell it as much as possible and tour around the country. It may be about a year before this happens but it's definitely on the cards. Before that, we just want to gig as much as possible - ideally in venues that are geared towards a listening audience (jazz clubs, jazz festivals etc etc). We also like to do pure funk gigs in clubs so people can 'get down'.
KK: Anything else you would like to add?
SH: One of our big influences as musicians and composers would be the New York based band: The Larry Goldings Trio - with Larry Goldings on organ, Bill Stewart on drums and Peter Bernstein on guitar. We prefer this kind of style to the more common Jimmy Smith style - but then we do love playing Jimmy Smith's "The Cat" and "Back at the Chicken Shack".
KK: Well, thanks for the interview. You are obviously already doing well - we wish you all the best of luck for the future.

The band have their own website at http://www.forsterhammond.co.uk
We also list their gigs on our national gig guide pages right here at KlubKat