2001 MELLON JAZZ FESTIVAL SELECTS "PAPA" JOHN AND JOEY DEFRANCESCO

PHILADELPHIA, February 12, 2001--The 16th Annual Mellon Jazz Festival will honor father and son Hammond organ duo “Papa" John DeFrancesco and Joey DeFrancesco. The 2001 Mellon Jazz Festival will run from Tuesday, June 12 through Sunday, June 17, 2001. “Papa" John and Joey will be joined by an esteemed list of local favorites for a special 'all in the family' honoree concert to be held Friday, June 15, at Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, located at Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street. The complete schedule and artist line-up will be announced at the 2001 Mellon Jazz Festival press conference on May 2 at Zanzibar Blue Restaurant and Jazz Club.

About the honorees:
Born on April 10, 1971, in Springfield, Pa., but raised in South Philadelphia, Joey DeFrancesco started playing piano at the age of 5, switching to the organ a year later. During his high school years, Joey won the Philadelphia Jazz Society's McCoy Tyner Scholarship and was a finalist at age 16 in the first Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Joey has recorded several albums for Columbia, Muse, Big Mo and currently High Note and Concord Records, has played and recorded with Miles Davis (Amandla and Live Around The World), and is currently a member of the Jazz Times Super Band along with Bob Berg, Randy Brecker and Dennis Chambers. Influenced by the legendary organist Jimmy Smith, Joey recorded two tribute CDs to his idol -- 1999's The Champ and the recently released The Champ: Round 2, both on the High Note label -- and on the 2000 release, Incredible! (Concord Jazz Records), they are captured together live in concert.

“Papa" John DeFrancesco began playing trumpet at the age of 6. His interest in the organ started after his wife gave him one for his 23rd birthday. When the DeFrancescos moved to Philadelphia in 1967, John soon became a part of the local jazz scene. In 1979, he temporarily gave up his playing career to supervise his son's, which began when Joey turned 8 years old. In the '90s, John returned to a more active playing career, recording two CDs for the Muse label --1992's Doodlin' and 1994's Comin' Home, both featuring Joey on trumpet -- and made an appearance on Joey's 1998 release, All In The Family (High Note).

About the Mellon Jazz Festival:
Now in its 16th year, the Mellon Jazz Festival is the Philadelphia region's premier celebration of jazz. Held annually in June, the festival presents a variety of local, national and international jazz performers. The Mellon Jazz Festival is sponsored by Mellon Financial Corporation and produced by George Wein's Festival Productions. The complete festival schedule will be available after May 2 at the official Mellon Jazz Festival websites: www.mellon.com or www.festivalproductions.net.