Joey DeFrancesco/Papa John DeFrancesco: The Champ Round 2/Hip Cake Walk

As an excellent follow-up to the first volume, The Champ Round 2 also pays homage to Jimmy Smith. The main difference between the two sets is largely in personnel, and it's indeed a significant variance. The first set featured a trio with guitarist Randy Johnston and drummer Billy Hart, but Round 2 highlights Joey's regular trio of guitarist Paul Bollenback and drummer Byron Landham. These guys have worked together for years and the understanding they've developed is purely telepathic at this point.

. DeFrancesco's choice of material is again outstanding, drawing from Smith's Blue Note period ("The Champ," Back at the Chicken Shack," "The Sermon") and from his Verve tenure as well ("Greensleeves," "I'm an Old Cowhand," "Oh No, Babe"). The most obscure item of the set, "The Boss," is also one of the best, the original appearing as the title track to one of Smith's hardest to find out-of-print Verve dates. Displaying Joey's inventiveness to great effect, "The Champ" is heard in two versions (starting off and ending the disc) and each one has its own merits. Sound is provided by Rudy Van Gelder, a master when it comes to engineering organ dates. A thoroughly hard blowing romp from start to finish, no more analysis is really needed, just sit back and dig!

Jimmy Smith must have been on Papa John's mind too when he set out to record his most recent effort for High Note, as "The Cat" gets things off to a entertaining start and "Chicken Shack" takes a bow here as well. Joey picks up his trumpet to form an agreeable front line with Philly legend Bootsie Barnes on most of the cuts, although personnel vary from cut to cut. Taking on the feel of those old Prestige jam sessions, this one is definitely more of a groove record and as such the tunes are familiar, namely "Freddie the Freeloader," "Moanin,'" etc. That's not to take anything away from the disc, as fans of organ styled jazz will definitely find much here to their liking.