Articles » Joey DeFrancesco: Master of the B-3 (~npr)

»» There's a 17,5 min. interview / performance of Joey DeFrancesco's at the bottom of this article.

Joey DeFrancesco: Master of the B-3
February 14, 2008 from KPLU
By Nick Morrison (~npr)

Joey DeFrancesco is generally acknowledged to be the reigning king of the Hammond B-3 organ. He's also a great guy to hang out with. So naturally, when he visited Seattle, we invited him to KPLU for an in-studio performance and interview. That said, nobody wanted to lug a massive B-3 from the nightclub to the studio, so we set DeFrancesco up with a Hammond XK-3, a keyboard that does a terrific job of synthesizing the B-3 sound. Since he actually worked with the Hammond company to develop the XK-3, we figured he could adapt his chops to it with ease.

Joey DeFrancesco, Born: 1971, Organist/Trumpeter/Vocalist

Joey DeFrancesco's official website: ~www.joeydefrancesco.com

Albums» Joey DeFrancesco's Goodfellas (1999)

Joey DeFrancesco,
Joey DeFrancesco's Goodfellas (1999)

Album review by Brian Bartolini ~allmusic.com
Try to imagine the best Italian-American wedding you've every been to -- the people, the food, the style, the love -- then set it to some great jazz music, Joey DeFrancesco's Goodfellas. Add this killer band to your next wedding party and be prepared to have the time of your life. Plain and simple, this album is 55 minutes of unabated fun.

Joey DeFrancesco (Hammond B-3 organ), Frank Vignola (guitar), and Joe Ascione (drums), three outstanding musicians who grew up in typical Italian-American families, play some of the music on which they were raised. Highlights abound on this brilliant concept piece: the kicked-up, jazzy "Volare," the groovy, tasty "Fly Me to the Moon," the energetic, rollicking "Malafemmena," and the beautiful slow dance "Young at Heart." Even Monk's "Evidence," taken at a blistering pace, is right at home in this setting.