Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Joey DeFrancesco: Incredible!

Joey DeFrancesco: Incredible!

By Jim Santella
August 1, 2000
View read count

He’s not yet 30, but Joey DeFrancesco earned his veteran stripes a long time ago. His B-3 performance on this latest Incredible! album ranges from hot and heavy to cool and lyrical. The organist drives Dizzy Gillespie’s "The Champ" and Charlie Parker’s favored "Indiana" into the streets with exciting solos from his working band: Paul Bollenback and Byron Landham. Bebop from a leader who learned it from his father in Philadelphia. DeFrancesco’s ballads remind me of Erroll Garner with his lyrical approach. He turns melodramatic on "The Good Life" and "When You’re Smiling" to express with vocal-like feelings.

Recorded live and in concert October 28, 1999 at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco, the session features extended tracks that allow room for DeFrancesco’s kind of stretching out. The sound is quite clear, and the audience reaction seems refreshing. With his own guitarist and drummer, Jimmy Smith joins the younger organist for two impromptu medleys. Heard from separate right and left channels, the pair converse and comp for one another. They end up with a blazing "St. Thomas" that excites both the "live" audience and the extended listening audience. The master and the young lion make quite a remarkable team.

Track Listing

The Champ; When You

Personnel

Joey DeFrancesco

organ, Hammond B3

Joey DeFrancesco, Jimmy Smith- Hammond B-3 organ; Paul Bollenback, Phil Upchurch- guitar; Byron Landham, Frank Wilson- drums.

Album information

Title: Incredible! | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Premonition
< Previous

Producer Don Paul
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.