In a timely and nicely varied program, Joey DeFrancesco and his quartet pay homage to peaceful protest and social activism. It’s a soulful sequence of songs that taken together may even convince listeners to consider questions of freedom—in jazz, in society, in personal action—or just induce them to sit back and enjoy the ride. – DownBeat Magazine
Joey DeFrancesco offers a hard-driving disc with a mixture of his own Hammond and the tried and true flavors of his regular bandmates Steve Cotter and Ramon Banda. This swinging threesome references everybody from saxophonist Sonny Rollins ("Way out West") and former boss Miles Davis ("I Don't Wanna Be Kissed") to Thelonious Monk ("Monk's Dream"), putting it's own stamp on this format in straightforward fashion. The band clearly delights in exploring the material, playing off one another and, in the case of DeFrancesco and Cotter, letting their envious chops off the leash.
Papa' John DeFrancesco put aside his successful playing career to watch over his progeny, Joey DeFrancesco, who by age 17 would start touring as a member of Miles Davis' band. But by the mid-'90s, with Joey grown and on his own, not only did Papa resume his nights behind the B3, he started recording again. Papa has made another trip to the Savant studio, not only with Joey, but with his guitar-playing scion, John, to boot. Together with tenor saxman Joe Fortunato and drummer Glenn Ferracone, they take an un-hackneyed program of nine tunes and add another notch in the belt of this B-3 icon.
Joey DeFrancesco has come a long way from his recording debut made in 1989 as a fresh-faced 17-year-old. From the get-go, he established his credentials with virtuoso technique and an innate soulfulness that he developed under the tutelage of his father, Papa John DeFrancesco. Combining monstrous chops with a flair for showmanship, DeFrancesco is regarded by organ aficionados as the baddest B-3 burner in the business. Joey's latest manages to look both ahead and back ? back to the trio's roots which extend back 15 years ? and ahead to musical triumphs to come.
Hammond b-3 organ legend Joey DeFrancesco is the modern day heir to the legends of the likes of jimmy smith, 'brother' Jack McDuff and Richard 'groove 'Holmes. He returns with an album his fans are bound to love- a specially priced two for the price of one called 'the baddest B-3 burner in the business'. it's features some of his most well known material and in a word it's Joey at his best.
