Howard Reich for the CHICAGO TRIBUNE –
Leonine organist Joey DeFrancesco packed about three programs worth of music into his first set Thursday night at the Jazz Showcase — not in terms of duration but of content.
Had he played just the organ, or only the trumpet, or if he simply had sung, he would have given the crowded house a great deal to ponder. But he did all of that, his repertoire proving comparably wide ranging, from edgy new music to vigorous transformations of jazz standards.
One hastens to note, though, that DeFrancesco’s sovereignty at the organ is the reason music lovers queue up to hear him. At 45, he has dominated the instrument and the field as no one of his generation has.
But the innate musicality of his trumpet playing and the increasing finesse of his vocals were enhancements to the main attraction, rather than the minor distractions of years ago.
Still, it was DeFrancesco’s hyper-virtuosity and musical imagination at the organ that drove the proceedings, much of the music drawn from his newest release, “Trip Mode.”
(12/6/16)
Read the full review at the Chicago Tribune