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Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
The Hammond B-3 organ is an expensive and unwieldy instrument, so it is understandable why we don't see very many of them on the club circuit or why there are so few young organists out there. It must have been refreshing to the jazz community in the late 80s when a young Joey DeFrancesco (pictured) put out his first album as a leader at the tender age of 18. DeFrancesco, son of "Papa" John DeFrancesco, a well respected organist in his own right, is carrying the torch of organ jazz and has played with luminaries such as Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, and Pat Martino. Last night, his trio arrived at Blues Alley to begin a four night stand. Unlike many organists who tend to adopt a soul-jazz sound in the vein of Richard "Groove" Holmes or Jack McDuff, last night's trio stuck mainly to a straight ahead jazz sound and occasionally ventured into more adventurous territory.
Tradition warrants respect, and all musicians should steep themselves in the history of their art form. The musicians playing last night certainly understand the music of their forebears. While last night's set was excellent, elements of the performance hinted at an approach to organ based jazz that could be spectacular. There is certainly no fault in playing standards with as much skill and expertise as Joey DeFrancesco's group, but such ability could yield marvelous results if the group gave us just a little less history and more of the present and future.
Image taken from Joey DeFrancesco's MySpace page
Each band member was a master player and so there was no shortage of technique and musicianship on stage. DeFrancesco might stand apart from other organists based on technique alone, but that is not the most inspiring aspect of his playing. While most organists produce a limited set of tones from the instrument, DeFrancesco evokes, in a very soulful way, a wide range of colors and timbres, even incorporating string and flute sounds into his improvisation. Byron Landham had the chops of a fusion drummer and certainly displayed them -- but unlike many of those players, who tend to ignore subtlety, he was unafraid to play with nuance and restraint. Guitarist Jake Langley provided solid accompaniment, strong solos, and was the most traditional of the three in sound and approach.
The night's 8 p.m. set began with an untitled blues that showcased the group's conversational approach to the be-bop and post-bop sound. Drummer Landham's ode to his wife, "Janine's Dream," a highlight of the set, was a sweet jazz waltz that saw DeFrancesco produce some haunting tones on the organ and keyboards. After a playful arrangement of the Ellington classic, "Just Squeeze Me," the band welcomed vocalist Colleen McNabb to the stage to sing the standards, "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Cheek to Cheek." Her singing style was not as interactive as that of a Cassandra Wilson, nonetheless her smooth alto voice fit well within the context of the band and her interpretations were proficient.
The band truly opened up on the last tune of the set with Jimmy Smith's "Dot Com Blues." The musical workout began as a smoky mid-tempo swing and went through a variety of textures that ranged from up-tempo swing to aggressive fusion. The playing on this number recalled DeFrancesco's fine work with guitarist John McLaughlin in the mid-90s. The song showed the more contemporary side of the band, and it's a shame that we did not hear more of this modern sounding organ jazz. It is encouraging to know that the group is willing to go to that place, so we can hope they will brandish more of this fortitude to audiences who see them this weekend.
The Joey DeFrancesco Trio plays at Blues Alley through Sunday night with daily 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. Visit the club's web site for more information.
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