Joey DeFrancesco - The Champ - Jazz Organ torrent

Joey DeFrancesco - The Champ

DeFrancesco's tribute to his friend Jimmy Smith. DeFrancesco puts in a virtuoso performance here, with the foot-tapping grit that exemplifies the best of the Hammond organ.

Tracklist:
01. The Champ (5:48)
02. Mack The Knife (3:34)
03. When Johnnie Comes Marchin' Home (7:19)
04. Lover Man Oh Where Can You Be (7:55)
05. Organ Grinder's Swing (2:52)
06. OGD (6:23)
07. The Preacher (5:45)
08. Walk On The Wild Side (5:30)
09. The Cat (4:56)

Total Time: 50:37

Personnel:
- Joey DeFrancesco (Hammond B-3 organ)
- Randy Johnston (guitar)
- Billy Hart (drums)

Recording Date: May 27, 1998
Recording Location: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Release Date: May 11, 1999
Label: High Note


MP3 Format 320 kbit/s. All songs are tagged by the book.


Review by Sid Gribetz
By now, organist Joey DeFrancesco should have secured his place among the masters of the Hammond B-3. This recording should confirm that status.

The Champ is billed as a tribute to Jimmy Smith. As such, DeFrancesco utilizes Smith's early classic combo set-up, simply organ-guitar-drums, with Randy Johnston and one-time Smith associate Billy Hart. Furthermore, the program consists of titles culled from Jimmy Smith's popular hits.

The adulatory nature of the tribute album ends there, however. DeFrancesco builds upon Smith's repertory to present a burning session that pulsates in its own right, and Joey marks his own stamp on these tunes rather than merely copying Jimmy's style.

There are later pieces such as "Walk on the Wild Side" and "The Cat", and "OGD (The Road Song)" to remind us of Jimmy and Wes, plus the usual standard songs that receive a mighty workout in the organ-guitar trio format.

DeFrancesco puts in a virtuoso performance here, with the foot-tapping grit that exemplifies the best of the Hammond organ, with a touch of elegance and soul.

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L Hammond, The Pirate Bay, where you'll find more jazz organ