Feb 27, 2019
I first fell in love with the music of Joey DeFrancesco twenty years ago, when I booked him on an epic Organ Summit triple bill with the late Charles Earland and Dr. Lonnie Smith for the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. What an evening that was! Significantly younger than the other greats sharing the stage that night, he more than held his own, and seemed as excited as any fan in attendance to be part of a very special event.
Since then, DeFrancesco has perhaps done more than anyone to expand the manner in which the organ can be played in jazz. Not only has he recorded “traditional” organ trio recordings with guitar and drums, but he has put together musical tributes for some of his favorite musicians (Horace Silver, Michael Jackson); been a sideman for John McLaughlin and Corey Weeds; played with the Count Basie Orchestra; and released the exciting and politically charged album Project Freedom, credited to Joey DeFrancesco + The People. By augmenting his trio with saxophonist Troy Roberts, it seemed that Joey had turned a new corner in his musical progression.
His latest CD, In the Key of the Universe is proof that he has. Rather than retain the core players from his Trio, DeFrancesco brought back from previous sessions the legendary Billy Hart on drums; Sammy Figueroa on percussion; and Roberts on a variety of saxes, and even bass(!) to anchor a band that is filled out by the ageless Pharaoh Sanders on sax. While there is plenty of swing on In the Key of the Universe, musically it represents a long look into the intersection of Spiritual Jazz and Groove.
A listener needs to go no further than Joey’s take on Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan.” Originally recorded fifty years ago this month, DeFrancesco’s take is as third as long as the epic piece, and finds new ways to reinterpret a standard. In the Key of the Universe reimagines the sound of the organ in this kind of music, and as a whole shows that DeFrancesco is willing and ready to stretch his talents once again.
Joey has also been in the news for his collaboration with another legend – Van Morrison. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Irish singer had released more than an album a year of jazz, blues and soul, much of it cover material before he hooked up with DeFrancesco and his group. In 2018, he teamed with Joey’s band of Michael Ode, Dan Wilson and Troy Roberts for You’re Driving Me Crazy, an album that reinterpreted some Van classics like “The Way Young Lovers Do” as jazz standards, and played chestnuts like “Miss Otis Regrets” with a new swing. A critical success, a second album, The Prophet Speaks, an R&B and Blues influenced set, was released in early December.
Podcast 666 gives us a chance to hear about Joey’s
collaborations with the two legends – Pharaoh and Van – plus talk
about the future of jazz organ, and allows him to reminisce about
his high school days in late 80’s Philadelphia, when he shared
bandstands with the teenage Christian McBride and Kurt Rosenwinkel,
and jammed with the likes of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (The Roots)
and future members of Boyz II Men. Musical selections from
In the Key of the Universe include the title track
and "I first fell in love with the music of Joey DeFrancesco twenty
years ago, when I booked him on an epic Organ Summit triple bill
with the late Charles Earland and Dr. Lonnie Smith for the Greater
Hartford Festival of Jazz. What an evening that was! Significantly
younger than the other greats sharing the stage that night, he more
than held his own, and seemed as excited as any fan in attendance
to be part of a very special event.
Since then, DeFrancesco has perhaps done more than anyone to expand
the manner in which the organ can be played in jazz. Not only has
he recorded “traditional” organ trio recordings with guitar and
drums, but he has put together musical tributes for some of his
favorite musicians (Horace Silver, Michael Jackson); been a sideman
for John McLaughlin and Corey Weeds; played with the Count Basie
Orchestra; and released the exciting and politically charged album
Project Freedom, credited to Joey DeFrancesco + The People. By
augmenting his trio with saxophonist Troy Roberts, it seemed that
Joey had turned a new corner in his musical progression.
His latest CD, In the Key of the Universe is proof
that he has. Rather than retain the core players from his Trio,
DeFrancesco brought back from previous sessions the legendary Billy
Hart on drums; Sammy Figueroa on percussion; and Roberts on a
variety of saxes, and even bass(!) to anchor a band that is filled
out by the ageless Pharaoh Sanders on sax. While there is plenty of
swing on In the Key of the Universe, musically it represents a long
look into the intersection of Spiritual Jazz and Groove.
A listener needs to go no further than Joey’s take on Sanders’ “The
Creator Has a Master Plan.” Originally recorded fifty years ago
this month, DeFrancesco’s take is as third as long as the epic
piece, and finds new ways to reinterpret a standard. In the Key of
the Universe reimagines the sound of the organ in this kind of
music, and as a whole shows that DeFrancesco is willing and ready
to stretch his talents once again.
Joey has also been in the news for his collaboration with another
legend – Van Morrison. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Irish singer
had released more than an album a year of jazz, blues and soul,
much of it cover material before he hooked up with DeFrancesco and
his group. In 2018, he teamed with Joey’s band of Michael Ode, Dan
Wilson and Troy Roberts for You’re Driving Me
Crazy, an album that reinterpreted some Van classics like
“The Way Young Lovers Do” as jazz standards, and played chestnuts
like “Miss Otis Regrets” with a new swing. A critical success, a
second album, The Prophet Speaks, an R&B and
Blues influenced set, was released in early December.
Podcast 666 gives us a chance to hear about Joey’s collaborations
with the two legends – Pharoah and Van – plus talk about the future
of jazz organ, and allows him to reminisce about his high school
days in late 80’s Philadelphia, when he shared bandstands with the
teenage Christian McBride and Kurt Rosenwinkel, and jammed with the
likes of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (The Roots) and future members
of Boyz II Men. Musical selections from In the Key of the
Universe include the title track and "Vibrations in Blue", plus Van
and Joey’s take on Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s “Gonna Send You Back
to Where I Got You From” from The Prophet
Speaks.