|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Evolution of Jazz Organ” with Joey DeFrancesco, Billy Hart and Jerry Weldon Evolution of Jazz Organ Presented by Joey DeFrancesco With special guests Billy Hart and Jerry Weldon Sunday, November 22, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) Free Zoom Presentation Our Zoom series, celebrating jazz history and culture, is curated by Jessica Felix and hosted by Marcus Shelby Join world-renowned jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco live as he discusses his 30+ years on the jazz scene, sharing his musical experiences as well as an extensive look into "Jazz Organ". The music, the musicians, it's history and evolution. Guest artists will include drummer Billy Hart and tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon. Both guests have performed and recorded with DeFrancesco and other master jazz organists over the years including Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, and Trudy Pitts, to name a few. This free virtual program is sure to be a fun and informative session for the real music enthusiast. A prodigious talent, Joey was introduced to the jazz scene from the very young age of 4 years old. Joey and Billy Hart's first recording, "Where Were You, " dates back to 1989. To date, Billy and Joey have shared the recording studio six times as a band member or featured artist. Two of Joey's five Grammy nominations include Billy, Enjoy The View, on Blue Note Records, a leader recording that included Joey, Billy, Bobby Hutcherson, and David Sanborn. In the Key of the Universe, Joey's latest release on Mack Avenue Records included Billy as well and earned Joey his fifth Grammy Nomination. Billy's experience recording and performing include just about every Jazz Organist, Jimmy Smith, Larry Young, and Shirley Scott, to name a few. Joey and Jerry Weldon have shared five recording sessions and the bandstand countless times over the years. Jerry's history with Jazz Organists would include not just Joey but also greats like Jack McDuff, Trudy Pitts, Jimmy Smith, and some of today's "on the scene" players. All three musicians have an extensive history on the jazz scene, collectively performing or recording with just about every musician with a connection to the pioneers of jazz. Collectively, Joey, Billy, and Jerry have shared the stage countless times over their thirty-year friendship and shared love for the music. Joey decided to invite both Billy and Jerry to join him for this zoom event to share their experiences performing together and their extensive music history with a specific focus on Organ Jazz. "He has dominated the instrument and the field as no one of his generation has." – Chicago Tribune. "Mr. DeFrancesco is a deeply authoritative musician, a master of rhythmic pocket, and of the custom of stomping bass lines beneath chords and riffs." – New York Times. "DeFrancesco might be better known for his work in earthier jazz styles — he also teamed up with Van Morrison for 2018's fun, bluesy You're Driving Me Crazy — but he sounds right at home here." – Rolling Stone. Raised in Philadelphia, this is where the foundation of his musical roots in Jazz, Blues and other musical art forms were born. To hear Joey DeFrancesco today, his music embodies the traditional art form infused with a distinctly modern approach, just part of what makes his music unmistakably his own. Joey DeFrancesco's emergence in the 1980s marked the onset of a musical renaissance. Organ jazz had all but gone into hibernation from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s until DeFrancesco reignited the flame with his vintage Hammond organ and Leslie speaker cabinet. The son of "Papa" John DeFrancesco, an organist himself, the younger DeFrancesco remembers playing as early as four-years-old. Soon after, his father began bringing him to gigs in Philadelphia, sitting in with legendary players like Hank Mobley and Philly Joe Jones, who quickly recognized his talent and enthusiasm. With a natural gift for music, DeFrancesco also swiftly picked up on the trumpet after a touring stint with Miles Davis as one of the two youngest players ever recruited for any of Davis' ensembles. DeFrancesco has recorded and/or toured with his own groups as well as numerous renowned artists that include Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Diana Krall, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, James Moody, John Scofield, Bobby Hutcherson, Jimmy Cobb, John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, David Sanborn and many more. The five-time Grammy Award-nominee, with more than 30 recordings as a leader under his belt, has received countless Jazz Journalist Association awards and other accolades worldwide, including being inducted into the inaugural Hammond Organ Hall of Fame in 2014, the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame in 2016 as well as topping the Critics Polls in DownBeat Magazine eleven times over the past fifteen years and the Readers Polls every year since 2005. DeFrancesco also hosts a weekly program on SiriusXM Radio's Real Jazz channel titled "Organized." Billy Hart has recorded over six hundred albums, including seminal dates with Wayne Shorter, Marian McPartland, Joe Zawinul, Pepper Adams, John Scofield, Lee Konitz, Hank Jones, Pat Martino, Charles Lloyd, Richard Davis, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, and Dave Douglas. Hart first sustained national exposure with the greatest Hammond organist, Jimmy Smith (1964–66), followed by a tenure with Wes Montgomery (1966-68) at the height of the guitarist's popularity. Upon moving to New York and following Montgomery's death, Hart performed in the bands of Eddie Harris and Pharoah Sanders before joining Herbie Hancock's groundbreaking Mwandishi in 1969, remaining there for four years and recording three pivotal albums. From there, he joined McCoy Tyner's band (1973–1974) and also performed with Stan Getz (1974–1977) in addition to extensive freelance playing and recording (including with Miles Davis on 1972's "On the Corner".) Hart drew on all of these experiences in conceptualizing "Enchance, " his 1977 debut album as a leader, and subsequently, "Oshumare" (1985), Rah (1987), "Amethyst" (1993) and "Oceans of Time" (1997). Two of Hart's long-term collective projects include Quest and The Cookers, which have been heard on the stages of every significant jazz festival in the world. Internationally renowned veteran sax man Jerry Weldon has been a player on the jazz scene for more than 35 years. With eight CDs as a leader and more sideman sides than even he can count… or remember, this native New Yorker's performance/recording résumé reflects his venerable tenor tenure and reads like a virtual "Who's Who of Jazz." After graduating from Rutgers University Jazz Studies Program in 1981, Jerry joined the legendary Lionel Hampton Orchestra. Next came a long, rewarding stint with master organist Jack McDuff & his “Heatin’ System.” Additionally, Jerry has worked with organists Jimmy McGriff, Joey DeFrancesco, Bobby Forrester, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Mel Rhyne, trombone great Al Grey, piano giants George Cables and Cedar Walton, drum legends Roy Haynes and Jimmy Cobb as well as guitarist/singer George Benson, guitarist Earl Klugh, bassist Keter Betts, singer Mel Tormé and a host of other legendary musicians. Jerry has toured the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia with Harry Connick Jr.’s big band and was also part of Connick’s Broadway musical production, “Thou Shalt Not.” write your comments about the article :: © 2020 Jazz News :: home page |