The iconic Hammond B3 organ, made famous in the mid-1950s by the legendary Jimmy Smith, is known for its powerful sound and emotional depth. With the ability to simultaneously handle basslines, rhythm, and melodic parts, the B3 offers a complete musical experience. Its sound can be radiant and lyrical or raw and punchy—always rich with feeling and soul.
But the B3’s impact isn’t just sonic—it’s also physically imposing. The instrument, with its large wooden cabinet, double keyboard, foot pedals, and signature Leslie speaker cabinet, commands both space and presence wherever it goes.
One of the modern masters of the B3 organ is Delvon Lamarr, leader of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio and a Seattle native. In a 2017 visit to KNKX studios, Lamarr recalled a memorable experience that illustrates the lengths musicians will go for a gig. He and fellow musicians Adam Kessler and Kareem Kandi had to manually transport the massive B3 organ, Leslie speaker, pedals, and bench through a closed-off downtown Seattle during a marathon event.
“I couldn’t drive across the marathon. I couldn’t drive across the parade,” Lamarr explained. “So what I had to do is, we parked over by the Seattle Center on the backside, kind of lower Queen Anne area, and me, Adam Kessler, Kareem Kandi pushed a B3, Leslie, pedals and bench all the way—I think it was like eight blocks—right down the middle of Second Avenue. I said, since there ain’t no cars down here, this got to be like a world first.”
For those unfamiliar, the B3 organ is a hefty instrument—approximately three feet wide and four feet tall—with dual keyboards and a pedalboard. Its Leslie speaker, an additional wooden cabinet containing rotating horns and drums, produces the swirling, immersive tones so closely associated with the instrument.
Production of the original B3 ceased in 1975, which has made maintenance a constant challenge for musicians who still play them. Finding replacement parts is increasingly difficult, and the vintage organs are prone to mechanical issues due to their age. Lamarr himself faced this reality during a 2023 KNKX studio session.
“We showed up, loaded in, turned it on… nothing,” he said. He then attempted to salvage the situation by running to Jazz Alley, hoping to scavenge a necessary part from a different Leslie speaker. Unfortunately, that effort didn’t pan out either. “So it happens, you know; you play a 60–70 year old instrument, you get 60–70 year old problems.”
Since 2015, Delvon Lamarr’s trio has risen from Seattle’s local venues to international acclaim, bringing the B3 organ’s soulful tones to a global audience. Interestingly, Lamarr didn’t begin as an organist—he started out as a drummer. His transition to the B3 was spontaneous and fateful.
“I used to play at the Art Bar with Joe Doria, Dan Heck. And then one day a drummer comes in and sits in. It was Julian McDonough is who it was—I didn’t know who he was back then. He sat in. I asked Joe if I could play the organ. He was like, ‘If you can.’ And so I sat down at the organ, played a blues, and it’s like I’d been playing the thing the whole time. So it ended up, that was my thing. Found an organ. Was all downhill from there.”
