Swings The Blues – circa 1989
Joey DeFrancesco
The organist seen back in his early days
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Joey DeFrancesco (1971-2022) ranked as one of the greatest jazz organists of all time.
Originally influenced by Jimmy Smith, DeFrancesco was already on his way towards being a giant when he was a teenager.
This early performance, from around 1989 when he had just signed with the Columbia label, features DeFrancesco on a cooking blues, playing in a duo with drummer Byron Landham.
It shows that DeFrancesco already had the swinging style, technique and enthusiasm that one associates with him.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald