Jazz Articles about Joey DeFrancesco

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Joey DeFrancesco, Guido Basso, Lorne Lofsky, Vito Rezza: One Take, Volume One

by Raul d'Gama Rose
August 15, 2008

Joey DeFrancesco, Guido Basso, Lorne Lofsky, Vito Rezza One Take, Volume One Alma Records 2008

The beauty of jazz is that it is music containing the sound of surprise. Most jazz musicians only plan what they are going to play, not how they are going to play it. So it may be different each time it is played. Then there is the jazz jam, the descarga. Things heat up as the jam progresses. The ...

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Joey DeFrancesco: Organic Vibes

by Chris M. Slawecki
July 7, 2006

Rooted in Philadelphia, the hometown of so many of his Hammond B-3 predecessors, Joey DeFrancesco knows soul-jazz organ grooves. And he seems to have studied their lessons well, as he's strung together the Down Beat Critics' Poll “Best Hammond B-3 player awards the past four years running.

DeFrancesco grooves these Organic Vibes in the serious jazz company of composer and vibraphone master Bobby Hutcherson throughout--as well as saxophonist George Coleman, a vital link in the Coltrane through Garrett ...

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Joey DeFrancesco with Jimmy Smith: Legacy

by Ollie Bivens
June 21, 2005

Released one week after the sudden death of Jimmy Smith on February 8, the new album by organist Joey DeFrancesco was the last recording featuring Smith, the man who revolutionized the Hammond B-3 by creatively incorporating it into the jazz idiom. First playing the organ at age four and performing playing gigs at ten with Richard “Groove" Holmes and Brother Jack McDuff, DeFrancesco has almost singlehandedly revived the popularity of the Hammond B-3 over the past fifteen years.

His Legacy, ...

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Jimmy Smith Tribute at Yoshi's

by Forrest Dylan Bryant
February 21, 2005

It was supposed to be a happy occasion.When Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland booked Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco for a five-night engagement (February 16-20), it was supposed to be the first stop on a triumphal inter-generational tour to promote Legacy , the two organists' first album-length team-up. But just one week before the gig, Smith passed away in his sleep at the age of 76. What do you do when a legend dies -- or in DeFrancesco's case, ...

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Joey DeFrancesco/Guido Basso/Lorne Lofsky/Vito Rezza: One Take

by Jerry D'Souza
April 7, 2004

Spontaneity and invention underline jazz. This recording provides an ideal situation for musicians to feel the mind waves of their collaborators, for, as the title indicates, the music was recorded in one take. The vibe was strong enough for some great music, even if most of the tunes are staples in the sheath of any worthy jazz musician.

Joey DeFrancesco is the most recognizable name, but don’t discount the three Canadian musicians. They would do any band ...

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Joey DeFrancesco: Plays Sinatra His Way

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 3, 2004

Although he’s been on the Concord label for several years now, it seems that the well spring of material that Joey DeFrancesco cut for Joe Fields’ HighNote imprimatur continues to be harvested with the latest offering being this 1998 session recorded in 24-bit digital splendor by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. Don’t look for the title on this one to provide much more than a unifying element for the tunes included, which just happen to be numbers that ‘Ol’ Blue ...

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Joey DeFrancesco: Organ Master meets Crooner

by R.J. DeLuke
October 8, 2003

Joey DeFrancesco is rightfully known as an incredibly talented organ player. He's got an array of solid CDs that document his rise to the top. He can fit into any setting, from hard bop to the electronic funk of 1980s Miles Davis. He can swing a room of lead balloons. This affable Italian can even croon Sinatra tunes and other standards, and plans on one day bringing out some interpretations of Louis Prima music. He's had the audacity to usurp ...