Customer Reviews

Incredible !

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

October 28, 1999 will go down in jazz organ history as one of the most electrifying nights on record. That was the night Joey Defrancesco and the grand master of the Hammond B-3 organ Jimmy Smith were captured live at Bimbo's 365 club during the San Francisco Jazz festival. The disc starts of with Joey and his trio of guitarist Paul Bollenback and drummer Byron Landham with a burning version of "The Champ", a tune which made Jimmy Smith a force in the jazz world. He puts his own spin on the tune, lovingly quoting Smith's original solo.

Paul Bollenback shares the spotlight on "When You're Smilin" playing an interesting solo which sounds like he is playing really close to the bridge of his guitar. The runs through "The Good Life" and for a set closer a jackrabbit fast take on the standard "Indiana". (a Jimmy Smith version at a similar tempo appears on "Groovin At Smalls Paradise") featuring an excellent drum solo by Byron Landham. Then comes the main event: Jimmy Smith takes the stage with his band to jam with Joey on two extended medleys.

The first medley includes a beautiful duet of "Yesterdays" and "My Romance", where both men display torrid fireworks. Joey stuns the audience with an amazing run, and the then 73 year old Smith bounces back with an equally impressive display which reaffirms his title of "The Incredible" Jimmy Smith. The two men proceed to burn through Smith's "The Skeezer", and Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas" trading hot phrases back and forth. Mere words can not describe the excitement that this recording captures. It is truly history and an instant classic.

As a fan of the Hammond B3, all I can say about this live performance is wow! DeFrancesco really brings it in this live performance. In sports athletes are often told to leave it all on the field and win, lose, or draw, if you did your best you win regardless. Well, DeFrancesco leaves it all on the stage with his performance on this cd. Simply put, he rocked the house with this performance. From the first track through the last this cd was smoking! My favorite track is the old Diz tune "The Champ." If you love the Hammond B3 and are a DeFrancesco fan, this cd is a must for your collection.

Critics both in Jazztimes and DownBeat rated this CD only as a average good recoding from the two masters, I think they where dead wrong in their critics. When Joey kick's off with "The Champ" in a murderous speed backed excellently by Paul Bollenback (guitar) and Byron Landham (drums, you feel that something special is going to happen that night at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Joey knows that "The Incredible" is sitting behind the curtains waiting for their first ever live encounter - so why not start with Jimmy Smith's trademark tune for 13 halleluja minutes! Next the trio turn into a joyous version of "When You're Smilin'" before they slow down for the beautiful ballad "The Good Life", made immortal years ago by the late great organist Don Patterson on the "The Exciting new Organ of Don Patterson" album (Prestige) . With Jimmy still behind the curtains to listen and prepare, Joey's trio makes a uptempo soulful bluesy version of a not-to-often B-3 recorded "Back Home Again In Alabama".

With a smokey voice (just still in his 30's?!?) Joey introduces "his hero, mentor and The incredible" to join him on the same bill. Now be prepared for the two last medleys on the CD - in the right channel DeFrancesco with leslie chorus ON and the left channel Jimmy Smith with leslie chorus OFF. With Jimmy in command the two kick's off with a up-temp bluesy "The Reverend" before they make individual chord changes into the best organ battle ever recorded...the tune "Yesterday's". Turn the volume up high and enjoy their intro before Joey plays his solo part on solo organ in different keys and organ turns that blows your mind off. The question you ask yourself - can the 70 year old master keep up with this phenomenal youngster??? Don't worry, when Joey hand over his solo part to Jimmy to continue his solo organ performance, you realizes why Jimmy still is the "Muhammad Ali" of organ jazz. God, what a night it must have been to be on that concert! The last medley round "St. Thomas" is just great with calypso, straight 4/4 and blues combined. Joey and Jimmy played with great respect for each other on this recording, and I guess that today Jimmy smiles in heaven surround by organ freak angles by this recording! Jazz organ history was made that night in San Francisco.

Every well-rounded jazz collection should have some Hammond B-3 organ, and this album is an outstanding choice. It has everything going for it: a masterful young organist, a live performance at the 1999 San Francisco Jazz Festival, fresh interpretations of jazz standards, and a guest appearance on two of the six tracks by Jimmy Smith, the great pioneer of B-3 jazz and a primary influence on DeFrancesco. Over an hour of delight.
Live recordings are often supercharged, and that's certainly the case here. "The Champ" and "Indiana" pour out enough energy to light up the U.S. power grid. "When You're Smilin'" is done as a straight-ahead swing, and even the ballad "The Good Life" has many thrilling moments. When Smith joins in for two extended medleys, we hear wide-open creative camaraderie across the generations. (For these two tracks, Joey is on the right channel and Jimmy is on the left.) This is not a cutting session; these two artists are displaying their mutual admiration through the music. Check out the joyous finish of the second medley with "St. Thomas."
B-3 jazz has been a very small component of my collection, but after hearing Joey perform as a guest artist with the Airmen of Note in fall 2009, I knew I needed to add something from his repertoire, and this turned out to be an excellent pick.

It's important to see the title of this album not as a self-promotional epithet but as a fittingly accurate homage to Jimmy Smith, who was frequently billed by Alfred Lion at Blue Note as "Incredible" (later, as "Amazing" and "Unpredictable"). Smith caused heads everywhere to turn when Lion released his recording of Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ," and by Lion's admission, the organist singlehandedly kept the label solvent until the late '60s. It's that spirit of respect for the instrument and its primary exponent--and not some sort of "B3 shoot-out"--that sets apart "Incredible!" as both a cooking session and a savory feast. Smith indeed could be unpredictable, turning in performances that could range from desultory and indifferent to chaotic and out of control. But DeFrancesco exhibits not only his superlative talent but his undeniable maturity while turning in a performance that lives up to its title--a wonderful tribute to, and even showcase for, the progenitor that is at the same time testimony to the successor's precocious musical and interpersonal sensitivities.

For me, one of many highlights is DeFrancesco's performance of "When You're Smiling." Not only does it make apparent his indebtedness to Smith (along with Milt Buckner, Wild Bill Davis and some of Smith's influences), but it reveals the "Italian-American connection," the "bel canto" phrasing that distinguishes Sinatra's performance of the same tune ("Sinatra's Swingin' Session"). Another gem is "The Good Life." Numerous B3 players seem stuck on the same couple of textures, but DeFrancesco is practically alone in his complete exploitation of all the resources Mr. Hammond must have had in mind when he constructed the machine. His choice of registrations, use of dynamics, and judicious employment of the Leslie rotators show not only what the instrument is capable of but produce a single, powerful musical result. Like Old Blue, DeFrancesco ensures the true winner is not so much himself, or any other performer, as the song. For at least the past 15 years, his has been the B3's most distinctive and authoritative "voice" and promises to remain so for many years to come.

I was raised in a good Basie, Jimmy Smith, Ahmad Jammal, Cannonball, Miles,Sarah, Dinah, Nancy (etc.) home; my jazz "yea is yea" --- I do not rave lightly. In fact,I rave rarely, and this is my first review-- I was so moved.
This recording is sooooo hot, I had to begin writing a rave review just halfway through it!...Joey and his perfect rhythm section, just SIZZLE. Wish more of life were this perfect. For now I choose to simply partake this visceral swinging heaven....
(a while later) Oh my god, each of the medleys, showcasing both masters in perfect B-3 blazing balance, is even beyond perfect---truest jazz improvisational righteousness. Hard to believe they never performed together before... Beleive me, This entire disc is utterly blissful rocking soul, of the classic 60's post bop hot soul jazz genre.
I discovered Joey, by good fate, at a Philly summer concert about 15 years ago-- renewing my faith in the (not lost after all) true religion. By less favored fate I never bought an album...my loss, until this jewel of a first. This phenomenon of jazz organ history is, without exageration, "Incredible!". Gift yourself and get it-- I think I'll send one to my father...

this recording is truly INCREDIBLE!!! Get it, you won't regret! The first track alone makes the CD worth it! Happy listening.

Joey Defrancesco head to head with the original B3 master, proving that no-one leads the pack forever. Defrancesco, fantastically accomplished technician; wildly fast delivery, easily and sadly outperforming a somewhat lacklustre Jimmy Smith.

A Guitar solo performed with a broken pick-up marring an otherwise excellent "When you're smiling".

"The Good Life" - virtuosic improvisation, 90 seconds of "live" magic making the entire CD a must for any Defrancesco fan.