My Content
Membership has its privileges! Sign up or sign in to gain full access to both All About Jazz and Jazz Near You. Learn more.
Joey DeFrancesco: Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson
Track review of "Never Can Say Goodbye"
Cross-pollinating jazz and pop does not always yield fruitful residuals—in many instances, it equates to an unbalanced succession of musical events. Here, however, Hammond-B3 titan Joey DeFrancesco renders a happy medium by jazzing up the songbook from the late pop icon Michael Jackson, with jazz, funk and rock stylizations, while retaining its inherent components. DeFrancesco and his band morph grooving jazz improvisation with Jackson's melodic hooks, yet neither genre dominates.
DeFrancesco carves the classic soul-pop ballad, "Never Can Say Goodbye," with sleek undertones abetted by guitarist Paul Bollenback's slippery funk voicings. The organist succeeds at instilling a soulful element, even when embarking on free-flight and climactic solo jaunts. DeFranceso and Bollenback trade torrid fours during the bridge, while gradually lifting the pitch towards the finale. The leader closes out the piece with silvery chord clusters, consummating one of many nicely orchestrated highlights evidenced throughout this tunefully upbeat program.
DeFrancesco carves the classic soul-pop ballad, "Never Can Say Goodbye," with sleek undertones abetted by guitarist Paul Bollenback's slippery funk voicings. The organist succeeds at instilling a soulful element, even when embarking on free-flight and climactic solo jaunts. DeFranceso and Bollenback trade torrid fours during the bridge, while gradually lifting the pitch towards the finale. The leader closes out the piece with silvery chord clusters, consummating one of many nicely orchestrated highlights evidenced throughout this tunefully upbeat program.
Personnel: Joey DeFrancesco: Numa organ, Keyb Duo organ, Numa piano, Hammond organ, trumpet; Paul Bollenback: electric guitar, nylon guitar; Byron Landham: drums; Pat Bianchi: keyboards; Carmen Intorre: percussion.
Title: Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: HighNote Records
Tags
Joey DeFrancesco
CD/LP/Track Review
Glenn Astarita
HighNote Records
United States
Michael Jackson
Paul Bollenback
Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson
View All Events
| Date | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sep3Mon 4:00 pm |
Christian Sands, Joey DefrancescoDetroit Jazz FestivalDetroit, MI |
| Sep11Tue 8:30 pm |
Joey DefrancescoBirdlandNew York, NY |
| Sep12Wed 8:30 pm |
Joey DefrancescoBirdlandNew York, NY |
| Sep14Fri 8:30 pm |
Joey DefrancescoBirdlandNew York, NY |
| Sep20Thu 7:30pm |
Joey Defrancesco Trio; Tammy Hall TrioHerbst TheatreSan Francisco, CA |
| Sep23Sun 3:00 pm |
Lucinda Williams, Joey Defrancesco, Anat Cohen, Delvon Lamarr Organ TrioMonterey Jazz FestivalMonterey, CA |
| Oct8Mon 22:00 |
Joey DefrancescoSala ClamoresMadrid, Spain |
Related Articles
Live ReviewsShipp / Lowe / Baker / Ray at Le Poisson Rouge
by Karl Ackermann
Published: August 13, 2018
Showcase
-
Encontros - Orquestra... by Antonio Adolfo
-
Family Feeling by Terell Stafford
Shop Amazon
Story of the Day
I was first exposed to jazz through my father who played professionally and nurtured me into music at a young age and had me playing guitar with his quartet in my early teens. I switched to piano in my mid teens, and with a strong ear for music, managed to put myself through college playing and singing Jazz / Pop / Standards in the late '70s and early '80s in the Dallas, Texas area both as a solo performer as well as with groups. I have built and operated a number of recording studios and enjoy writing, recording, producing, and performing live. I also typically cover guitar and bass for my own projects.
By Jay Sloat
Member since: 2018
