Lou Bennett born 18 May 1926

Lou Bennett (May 18, 1926 – February 10, 1997) was an American jazz organist. 

Lou Bennett was born Jean-Louis Benoît in Philadelphia. His father, who came from Martinique/French West Indies abandoned him at birth. Lou learned how to play piano from his mother, but he was actually raised by his grandparents. His grandfather was a Baptist pastor, his grandmother taught him to accompany the hymns of the church on piano or harmonium. Lou´s first exposure to the organ came in his grandfather's church in Maryland where he learned to play gospel music. He continued to play piano through his teens and while living in Baltimore, learned the shoe repair trade and played as an amateur pianist in Baltimore. 

During his military service in Georgia and Alabama (1943-1946) he played tuba in the army brass band; it is undoubtedly that by playing this instrument, he took a fancy to low, opulent tones, further developing his appreciation for bass work, which lead him to play Hammond organ. After military service he returned to shoe repairing in Baltimore but at the same time formed a jazz trio, fashioned after Nat King Cole's popular group (shoemaker during the day, musician at night, sometimes sleeping in his car for a few hours, while waiting for the store to be opened by its owner). 

This trendy move was interrupted, however, when Lou heard what Bill Davis was doing with the Hammond organ - it was during this time that Lou became interested in electronics, and after hearing Davis he bought an organ. 1949 was to become an influential year for numerous pianists, some of which would surface in the organ revolution that followed Bill Davis' era. These younger lions included Jimmy Smith, Johnny "Hammond" Smith and Lou Bennett. It was now time for this shoe repairman to use his own shoes on the foot pedals of his newly acquired Hammond organ and hone his bass work striving for virtuosity and in 1951 he turned professional. 

Lou gained notification in Baltimore and, because of his success, he decided to go to New York in 1955, where he met artists agents, who made him tour all over the US, except for the West coast. He had a list of appearances which included the more important clubs of New York (notably Minton´s and Small´s Paradise) and hot spots throughout the East coast and Midwest, touring until 1959. He was also distinguishing himself with his increasingly proficient footwork. 

                              

In 1959, Lou's good friend, Babs Gonzales, introduced him to a man named Daniel Filipacchi, chief editor of Europe 1 (one of France's big radio stations), they met in New York. Filipacchi invited him to come to France, to make the organ known to the French Jazz lovers, and booked Lou in the 'Blue Note' club in Paris the following year. So Lou Bennett unloaded his Hammond B3 in Le Havre in 1960. He took Paris by storm, becoming an overnight star on the jazz scene there. In a 1961 poll, he was voted number  organist over Jimmy Smith and Wild Bill Davis, and his overall popularity in France was superior to that of Count Basie, Miles Davis, and other American jazz stars. 

Bennett never succeeded in confirming his success, because of his quasi-obsession with the electronic parts of his organ. He was continually striving to find the perfect sound, and to find as many sounds as he could in order to better express himself. A part of his obsession concerned the bass played with his feet on the pedalboard. 

Having an astonishing bass-playing technique, he continually searched for ways to better its sound as if to suggest an additional member of the rhythm section. The common practice was for organists to play the bass with their left hand and to move their left foot along with the rhythm of the tune. Lou returned to America only once, for the 1964 Newport Jazz Festival. He also recorded in the 1960s with Philip Catherine, Shirley Bunnie Foy and Franco Manzecchi. In the 1980s he played in his own quintet with Gerard Badini, among others. Throughout his career Lou led his own groups: trios, a quintet during the 1980´s, and a quartet by the end of the decade. 

Many of Bennett’s opportunities were ruined because of faulty wiring and breakdowns of his “Bennett Machine” that he had created. Bennett had little interest in financial gain or publicity. He would accept low-paying contracts for as little as a meal and traveling expenses. Often he would repair his organ on stage, interrupting his concert to do so. Having performed all over Europe, he met with a great deal of success in Spain, and built a house there with room for his electronic experiments. His music took priority over his marriage, although he and his wife remained together up until the time of his death. 

His last album 'Now Hear My Meaning' (Mas I Mas) was recorded in 1992. With an international recognition for more than 30 years of career, Lou Bennett is considered as a true 'teacher' and one of the big organists of the Jazz world by the specialized critic, musicians and fans. Lou passed away February 10, 1997 at a hospital in Le Chesnay, outside of Paris.He was 70 years old.

(Edited from Rutgers & Andre Conduant’s website)