DownBeat March 2002 [antikvár]

with. Tlie Hammond B-3 organ has a homey sound, Ihe chunliy hunk oi furniture in the front room. Hence many organists' "down-home" attitude. And when it comes to in-the-pocket, m-the-fami-ly gi-ooves however, who can top the Philly-busting papa-bambino combinaUon of John and Joey DeFrancesco? Side by side at twin XB-3s, they cozied up Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago for a week last December, stoked by Joey's long-time rhythm team—drummer Byron Landham and guitarist Paul Bollenback. After the show, the DeFrancescos slapped backs like reveling siblings. HAVE THINGS ALUVAYS BEEN LEMONADE BETWEEN VOU TWO? "PAPA" JOHN: We're real close, I don't know what he thinks (laughs). JOEY: I love my dad. It's great playing together, and we're gonna do more of this. YOUR DUET "MY BUDDY" ON IDSS'S ALL IN THE FAMILY (HIGHNOTE) USURPED ELVIS" "OLD SHEP ¦ AS THE MOST SENTIMENTAL WEEPY EVER RECORDED. JOEY: The singing on that is atrocious, but it was nothing to do with that. It was emotion. I had a frog in my throat. We can't do it live; we'd never get through it. JOHN: Everybody loves that one. I met Joe Pesci at a benefit for Jack McDuff and he mentioned that tune. JOEY: Joe Pesci and I have been working together. He sings his ass off, sounds like Jimmy Scott. DO YOU THINK SENTIMENTALITY IS AN ITALIAN TRAIT, HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE NATIONAL PASSION FOR OPERA? JOHN: I was brought up on opera, my dad had all the 78s. WAS YOUR FATHER A MUSICIAN? JOHN: He was a tenor saxist, but could play any damn thing Joey's the same, he can sing, play drums, trumpet, pretty good tenor. He's got that gift. It went straight by me to Joey. WHEN DID IT OCCUR TO YOU, "MY SON CAN TAKE ME?" JOHN: Oh god! When he was about 10. Passed me like a rocket ship. But I never looked at it like that because I knew he was a bad cat; he's the best one right now. I'm not talking like a father but like a musician—he's mastered that instrument. There's nobody who can do what he does. DO YOU GIVE YOURSELF ANY CREDIT FOR THAT? JOHN: Ha ha, that's for him to say. JOEY: If it wasn't for my dad, I wouldn't play the organ; he was real good how he helped me, he never pushed. I wanted to do it, he just guided me in the right direction, and taught the things you should and shouldn't do. DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOUR TEENAGE BOY WOULD BE TUGGED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL TO PLAY A EUROPEAN TOUR WITH MILES DAVIS? JOHN: No! I was originally a trumpet player and Miles was my idol. He first heard Joey when he guested on a TV show in Philly and Joey, 15 then, was playing with a local trio. JOEY: Miles took my number, punched me in the chest and said, "You can play!" JOHN: He called about a year later and my 80-year-oId mother answered the phone. JOEY: At first I thought it was my classmate Christian McBride. We used to play jokes, but I called the number and sure enough it was the man. AT THE TIME YOU HAD A DAY GIG AS AN ELECTRICIAN. DIDNT YOU, JOHN? JOHN: Yeah, I stopped playing for a few years to try and raise the family. If you're out a lot you can't raise three kids, so I stayed home. Joey has a family too, but he's at a different level. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE JOEY TO REACH THE PEDALS? JOHN: His feet were swinging there for a long time. He used to stand on the edge of the bench, almost standing up to get to them. YOU MIX IT UP ON THE GIG, JOEY SINGING THEN PLAYING TRUMPET, YOU BACKING HIM UP. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO DOES WHAT WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING TOGETHER? JOEY: We can't even tell, we switch bass Unes so smoothly. We look at one another and I see where he's at and boom\ Dad used to come in from work, go down to the basement, my brother Johnny, who usually plays guitar, would get on the drums and we'd jam. JOHN: We had the cops come one time. Yeah, we used to bust it wide open. We had it going, didn't we? "" by michael jackson