Led by keyboardist Mike LeDonne, the Groover Quartet is an outlet for his love of the Hammond B-3 electric organ and funky jazz, soul, and R&B. Alongside LeDonne, the Groover Quartet features his equally adept bandmates, saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. The group first grabbed audiences' ears with its 2004 debut, Smokin' Out Loud. Since then they've toured often and played a regular Tuesday night gig at the Smoke nightclub in New York City.

Although LeDonne technically formed the Groover Quartet in 2003, his love for organ-based jazz goes back to his youth in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he first began playing the instrument at age ten. At age 14, his father bought him his first Hammond organ, and by the time he left high school he was an accomplished jazz and R&B performer. After graduating from the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in 1979, LeDonne moved to New York and embarked on a fruitful career, largely playing acoustic post-bop jazz.

In 2000, LeDonne sat in on a tribute to the late organ giant Charles Earland at New York's Smoke. His appearance led to his own five-week Tuesday night run, which itself developed into a regular gig. Joining him were his longtime friends Alexander (who had played with Earland), Bernstein, and Farnsworth. They dubbed themselves the Groover Quartet, and introduced their soulful, Hammond B-3-soaked sound with 2004's Smokin' Out Loud. More well-received albums followed, including 2009's The Groover with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and bassist Bob Cranshaw, 2014's I Love Music, and 2016's That Feelin' with saxophonist Vincent Herring. In 2018, LeDonne and the Groover Quartet delivered From the Heart, featuring a guest appearance by drummer Mike Clark, an original member of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi