JOEY DEFRANCESCO IN CONCERT:
Jazz virtuoso Joey DeFrancesco is one of the genre's most prolific, decorated, and colorful figures. He's released more than 30 albums, recorded with luminaries like Miles Davis and Ray Charles, and is a 9-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll -- and that's just the beginning. There's no secret to his success -- DeFrancesco is a former child prodigy, and his virtuoso abilities span various instruments, jazz subgenres, and mediums (he's an actor as well). Whether he's singing, playing the trumpet, or improvising on his signature Hammond organ, DeFrancesco never fails to blow ticket buyers away with his stunning technical prowess and animated showmanship on tour.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Springfield, Pennsylvania-born Joey DeFrancesco is a third generation jazz musician -- his grandfather played the saxophone and his father was an accomplished organist inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. DeFrancesco began playing the organ at age four, and by age ten he was a fixture of the Philadelphia jazz scene, opening for legends like Wynton Marsalis and B.B. King. At age 16 he signed an exclusive contract with Columbia Records, and in 1989 he released his debut album All of Me. The album was a critical success that is today widely regarded as a milestone in the resurgence of the organ, an instrument that until then had suffered waning popularity in jazz music. That same year DeFrancesco played keyboard on Miles Davis' chart-topping album Amandla before joining the legend for a five-week European tour. Since then DeFrancesco has released more than 30 albums, earned two Grammy nominations, and been inducted into the Hammond Hall of Fame. The bedrock of his success, however, remains his unparalleled skill as a live improviser -- a talent he continues to share on his awe-inspiring tours.