"B-3 Summit X"
Joey DeFrancesco & George Coleman; Trudy Pitts Trio
Saturday, May 5 • 8pm & 10:30pm
$40 VIP GA Reserved Section
$25 GA Non-reserved
“[DeFrancesco’s] notes often fly by with such velocity that time seems to become suspended.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Program Notes
Philadelphia has a long legacy of blazing Hammond B-3 dynamos, including soul-jazz legends Jimmy Smith, Trudy Pitts, and Richard "Groove" Holmes. Building on a five-year run as Best Organist in the DownBeat Critics Poll (2002-2006), organist Joey DeFrancesco has taken his place in that esteemed company.
DeFrancesco got off to an early start, studying with his father "Papa" John DeFrancesco, himself a well-known Philly keys-man. By the age of ten he was playing alongside "Groove" Holmes and counted Smith as his mentor (the pair recorded two albums together, 2000's Incredible!, recorded live at the 1999 San Francisco Jazz Festival, and 2005's Legacy). Though DeFrancesco's music has deep roots in Philly soul-jazz, he also moves comfortably in hard bop and modal jazz circles—perhaps a legacy of his time (at age 17!) with Miles Davis' band. In addition to Davis, DeFrancesco has worked with a wide range of jazz icons including drummer Elvin Jones, and, on his last studio album, Organic Vibes, with SFJAZZ Collective vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and saxman George Coleman, who also appears on DeFrancesco’s latest live set Authorized Bootleg.
Coleman's is a name that deserves wider recognition in jazz circles. Contributor to legendary albums like Miles Davis' My Funny Valentine and Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, Coleman has played with a stunning variety of R&B, blues, and jazz legends including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Charles Mingus, Lee Morgan, and Ahmad Jamal. "There are certain people that are well publicized, Coleman told All About Jazz. "Me, I've always been in the background…I've played with some of the great players in the business. Didn't sound too bad. Made a few records of my own. With all these things, I feel like I can retire and be happy." Lucky for jazz fans, his re-emergence has put off that retirement talk for now.
"Ms Pitts is one bad organist," Joey DeFrancesco said of his cohort at tonight's B-3 Summit. "A deep groove, true harmonic knowledge and wonderful creativity. Definitely deserving of wider recognition. I'd play with Ms Pitts anytime." Pitts’ work with guitarist Pat Martino has been embraced by a new generation of soul-jazz lovers and she remains a favorite inside B-3 circles. With her husband Bill "Mr C" Carney, she's been stoking the soul-jazz fires for over forty years, and is certain to set the Great American to rocking tonight.
Personnel:
Joey De Francesco Trio feat. George Coleman
- Joey De Franceso, Hammond B3 Organ
- Jake Langley, guitar
- Byron Landham, drums
- George Coleman, tenor saxophone
Trudy Pitts Trio
- Trudy Pitts, Hammond B3 organ
- Carl Locket, guitar
- Mr. C, drums
Sharon and John Opsal
