The seventh version of the annual Hammond Jammin’ keys up at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que on Sunday
The sounds of the Hammond B3 organ conjure images of some of the most memorable stereotypes of live-music venues: the smoky jazz bar a la New York City’s Birdland, the raucous arena that is the home to Southern rock bands or the dark, down-and-dirty blues club, to name a few.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, 246 W. Willow St., is fast becoming part of that list, as once again this weekend it hosts the seventh annual rendition of Hammond Jammin’, a concert that features local musicians who specialize in playing the legendary instrument. It has become a traditional endof-Winterfest event. The festivities will get hoppin’ at the Upstairs at the Dino venue on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 12:30 p.m.
Musicians to perform include Gerry Testa and Front Street, Dave Flansburg and Group with Max Flansburg, Bill Barry, Michael Davis with Skip Murphy, Jimmy Cox and the Stew, Al Petroff with The Shakedown, Pauly Scrie and Steve Shad.
Festival organizer Testa explains that last year he decided to set the concert at the Dinosaur after several of the venues that previously hosted the event shut down. The change has been good for Hammond Jammin’. “The Dinosaur is a perfect venue for us for the type of music we do,” Testa explains.
Furthermore, the fans, says Testa, have enjoyed the transition. “They love it. 
In fact, I get photos every year from people,” who, he went on to explain, have come in the past specifically to shoot pictures of their favorite local players.
He and local musicians Al Petroff had come up with the idea for a concert that featured the B3 after watching other types of instruments get the spotlight. “Al Petroff and I were talking years ago about guitar blow-offs and harmonica blow-offs. We felt Hammond players were overlooked a lot. No one ever talks about the keyboard players much, and they’re often buried offstage somewhere. There are a lot of good Hammond players in town and we thought we’d put a show together.”
Local Hammond favorite Jimmy Cox- -this will be his fourth appearance at the annual event--explains that the appeal of the instrument has been evident in young musicians who seem to be coming back around to its classic sound. “I noticed that a lot of instruments go through cycles,” says Cox, who is also the father of local pop-rock vocalist Ashley Cox. “Analog {synthesizers} from the 1960s and 1970s are back in favor with younger bands. The B3 sound is a great sound {so I can see how} a lot of younger bands would enjoy that sound.”
Cox adds that the event is an informal one, and so his song selection process for the concert is pretty simple: Keep it fun and loose. “Last year with my kids we did some rock tunes, like a tune by The Who, which you normally wouldn’t associate the B3 with, but I have fun doing those songs.”
Participant Scrie, who will mark his fifth year at the event, says that Testa’s vast experience with repairing Hammond organs for churches--the venue for which they were originally intended--as well as for fellow Syracuse musicians more than qualifies him for organizing the event. “There is a small group of us still using Hammonds and Leslies {the speaker cabinet associated with the organ}, and he’s the go-to guy for that stuff,” Scrie says. “All the other players enjoy it. Gerry always manages to get some of the best keyboard players around.”
Although such an event would seem to prescribe a “showdown”-styled competition among the local keyboard players who participate, it’s really not about that, Scrie notes. “It’s not about showing off--at least it’s not to me. We get a bunch of keyboard players together and celebrate the Hammond organ and have fun. That’s what’s it all about.”
Admission to the show is free. For more information, call 458-8753, or visit the Winterfest’s website, www.syracusewinter fest.org.
o
