One Hammond B3 player I've
been watching for years is Jeremy Baum of New Windsor, whose touch on the
keyboard can be tender or torrential, quiet or quick.
    Baum, a graduate of
the State University of New York at New Paltz who has performed often in
Dutchess County, doesn't just play his instrument, he draws sound from it. He
teases sound from the organ, coaxes it out, and at the right moment, he propels
it forward, to a legion of faithful followers who enjoy his fusion of soul, jazz
and the blues.
    And just as they're chewing on it all, Baum lobs another
one their way.
    He simultaneously negotiates and executes his way up and
down that keyboard, while keeping the crowd abreast of any and all musical
equations he happens to piece together, with the insight of a college professor
and the sheer joy of a kid in a candy shop.
    All of this brings me to
Baum's new CD, "The Eel," a dissection of musical genres stamped with the
personality of a musician who knows when to take a gallop to a stampede, when to
batten down the hatches and when to throw caution to the wind.
    This CD
has a lot of great tunes on it. But if it only had "Pacific Drive" on it, just
one song, it would be worth getting your hands on. Written by Baum, this bouncy,
optimistic song meanders just enough to pique your curiosity, but returns
repeatedly to the grit and grime of a good blues tune, thanks in large part to
the unrelenting guitar licks of Myles Mancuso, who is originally from
LaGrange.
    I found myself playing this song over and over, tapping my feet
and rocking back and forth in my chair. With these tunes, prepare to move — and
be moved.