Never Can Say Goodbye – 2011
Joey DeFrancesco
A soul jazz version of an r&b standard
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Ever since he first emerged in the late 1980s, Joey DeFrancesco has been one of the main giants of the jazz organ, building upon the legacy of Jimmy Smith in his own way.
At the 2011 Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, he and his longtime trio with guitarist Paul Bollenbeck and drummer Byron Landham dig into “Never Can Say Goodbye.”
Just as Charles Earland in the 1970s enjoyed turning r&b and soul songs into jazz, DeFrancesco has little difficulty transforming the groove tune into a hot jazz number.
Joey DeFrancesco displays his virtuosity and bluesy swing, and Bollenbeck also takes an impressive solo.
-Scott Yanow
