Jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco
With Joey DeFrancesco at the keys, the love is back for the Hammond B-3.
The global jazz community has credited DeFrancesco for rekindling a love for the Hammond
The JazzMn Big Band will kick off its 2003-2004 season with jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco in "Jammin' on the Hammond B," Saturday, October 4th at 7:30 p.m. at Benson Great Hall, on the campus of Bethel College.
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B-3. A soulful, robust instrument that enjoyed a 1960s heyday with such artists as Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff, the Hammond B-3's appeal waned as sythesizers emerged as the predominant keyboard during the 1980s.
But DeFrancesco's recordings from the late 1980s and early 1990s re-ignited the flame. His music runs the gamut from soul-jazz and bluesy grooves a la Jimmy Smith to hard bop to the more advanced modal style of John Coltrane.
Born in Springfield, PA on April 10, 1971, DeFrancesco is the son of legendary Philly jazz organist Papa John DeFrancesco. He began playing piano at age four and soon was following in his father's footsteps on the jazz organ. At age six, he was sitting in at his father's gigs, and by age 10, he was performing paying gigs.
At 16, DeFrancesco was the first recipient of the Philadelphia Jazz Society's McCoy Tyner Scholarship, and he was also a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. He met Miles Davis on a local television show and impressed the trumpeter enough that DeFrancesco was invited on tour following his high school graduation in 1988.
After appearing on the well-received "Live Around the World" and "Amandla" albums, DeFrancesco scored a solo deal with Columbia and released his debut as a leader, "All of Me", in 1989. Four more Columbia albums followed and DeFrancesco's reputation grew steadily. His arrival helped kickstart a renewal of interest in organ jazz, and he remains one of the most versatile and advanced of the new breed of players.
After parting ways with Columbia, DeFrancesco began working extensively with guitarist John McLaughlin. His appearance on 1994's "After the Rain" and its subsequent international tour with McLaughlin brought him to a whole new audience. He spent the next few years working mostly as a sideman, and returned to the studio under his own name in 1998, recording "All or Nothing at All".
DeFrancesco recorded with longtime hero Jimmy Smith for 2000's "Incredible!" In 2001, he released "Singin' and Swingin'," which spotlighted his easygoing vocals and full big band backup. Most recently, DeFrancesco released "Falling in Love Again", a collection of standards.
For more on Joey DeFranceso, visit his website at www.joeydefrancesco.com.
