A preeminent figure in the world of jazz, Joey DeFrancesco will perform two shows with his trio at Redding's Restaurant on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Joey DeFrancesco
At one time Atlantic City was a must-stop destination among the greatest names in the genre of jazz music, and a strong correlation exists between the city and the DeFrancesco surname.
But Joey DeFrancesco, who has been hailed as one of the greatest jazz organists of all time, has never before performed in A.C. as a professional musician.
“My father, [jazz organist] ‘Papa’ John DeFrancesco, played in Atlantic City back in the ’50s, during the heyday of Club Harlem, Grace’s Little Belmont and all those [bygone, hallowed] clubs, and he and Jimmy Smith [another outstanding jazz organist] were big influences on me,” says Joey DeFrancesco. “But I don’t think I’ve officially played an Atlantic City gig before, except for when I was about 10 years old at some private event.”
That will soon change, as DeFrancesco — who is up for a “best contemporary jazz album” Grammy award on Feb. 13 for his Michael Jackson tribute called Never Can Say Goodbye — will play two gigs Tuesday night, Feb. 8, with his trio at Redding’s Restaurant, located at the corner of what was once an A.C. jazz haven, Kentucky and Pacific avenues. It is the inaugural event in what will hopefully become the ongoing JazzAlive! Series at Redding’s.
“Chef Carl Redding [Redding’s owner] is a jazz lover and, thanks to his support, he is making this possible,” says Joe Donofrio, the series producer who has six Grammy awards and multiple nominations to his credit, including “best instrumental jazz album” for producing John Beasley’s 2010 release Positootly! “With so many music lovers in our immediate area, jazz enthusiasts like the Somers Point Jazz Society sponsor events to help proliferate a genre that sometimes gets overlooked. If I can help promote jazz with a series to compliment other endeavors, I’m a happy camper. And having Joey DeFrancesco as our first artist was a major achievement, as he is a world-class musician who toured with the legendary Miles Davis at the tender age of 17.”
Donofrio and DeFrancesco have a bit of a past history together, as DeFrancesco performed on a CD by legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino that Donofrio produced and was twice nominated for Grammy awards in 2001. Released on Blue Note Records, that CD was entitled Pat Martino - Live at Yoshi’s. Martino is one of the artists Donofrio hopes to feature at Redding’s in the future, as is Beasley.
“I think [the series idea] is great,” says DeFrancesco. “Bringing jazz back to an area where so many great musicians played, and where they had such a great time playing, I think is wonderful idea. If this takes off and something happens, hopefully we can start seeing more of that.”
After his A.C. gig, DeFrancesco will resume a tour with jazz sax icon David Sanborn.
“If you ask me, I’m still learning how to play,” says DeFrancesco. “You never stop. I have my own approach, and you can hear influences in my style of play, but I’ve taken the instrument to a little bit of a different realm of music as far as harmony and virtuosity, I think, as well. But I’m always looking for new ways to approach things, as are all musicians.”
“We invite all music enthusiasts to help support this concert to make this a monthly series,” says Donofrio. “This is our first one, so we’re hoping for the best. To quote [late, legendary band leader] Les Brown, ‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.’”
JazzAlive! Presents An Evening with Joey DeFrancesco
Where: Redding’s Restaurant, Kentucky and Pacific avenues, Atlantic City
When: Tuesday, Feb. 8; shows at 8pm and 10:30pm
Details: Hailed as one of all-time great jazz organists, DeFrancesco’s trio includes drummer Byron Landham and guitarist Paul Bollenback. Bar seating is $20, but there are full-course dining packages available as well. Go to reddingsrestaurant.com for more info.
Phone: 348-3270
“We haven’t had a disappointing month yet, and Dan and Sandi have been fantastic. They’ve gone above and beyond anything we could ask them to do, and the audience has been terrific. It’s been a lot of fun. We couldn’t do it without the support of the community and without the help of Dan and Sandi. They’ve really championed the cause of jazz music in the Somers Point community.”
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1. Jazz Organist ! Dan Fogel said... on Feb 12, 2011 at 01:54AM
“Don't forget to check out the evening write-up of that event at Reddings w/Joey last week covered at : acweekly.com - This includes pictures of the people that were there and a concise write-up with coverage of the entire night!!”
2. Jazz Organist! Dan Fogel said... on Feb 20, 2011 at 03:28AM
“I forgot to mention that you can catch a glimse of my Manager GERI ( Pat Martino's former wife and Manager)"Waltz fir Geri"- taken that evening at Reddings in Atlantic City> go to www.acweekly.com and click on JAZZ RETURNS to ATLANTIC CITY>go to photo's- I'm the guy with the Hat on sitting next to the beautiful blonde(Geri). Best to all !I'm going on tour this week but I;ll see you'al this summer at Chickenbone Beach Jazz Concert Series coming every Thurs. night in Atlantic City in front of Old Convention Hall on the Boardwalk. July and August starting at 7-10pm.”
3. geri said... on Feb 24, 2011 at 10:27PM
“Had a great time with Danny, was a great night and we enjoyed ourselves. Hope you appear mor often.”