Like the keyboards that he has mastered, Joey DeFrancesco is able to create a wide variety of moods, sounds and grooves that touch various parts of your heart, soul and mind, as he demonstrated Thursday night at Catalina’s. During his 80 minute set with his team of Michael Ode/dr and Troy Roberts/ts he mixed in material from his last album (Project Freedom) along with other selection that featured DeFrancesco’s range from blues groover to romantic crooner.
Driven by Ode’s enthusiastic drum work, team stretched out hard hitting pieces such as “The Lamp Is Low” and a funkfested “The Unifier” like salt water taffy. DeFrancesco was like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia, conjuring up musical potions that swirled around to form a volcanic avalanche while Roberts’ earthy tenor mixed searing excursions with deep swinging riffs. The climactic interchange between keyboards and drums mixed Motown soul backbeats with tsunami waves of energy.
As with all things organ, blues fit the artists best, and a “Blues in 3” mixed oozy howls from the pipes as stratospheric wails were supported by subterranean and visceral thuds, as if magma were erupting from below. Ode’s gospel pulse kept things cohesive while Roberts and DeFrancesco preached from the pulpit.
But, even better than the extroverted excursions was when DeFrancesco changed hats and became a romantic crooner. DeFrancesco’s warm voiced and assuring delivery of the classic “PS, I Love You” was augmented by his unabashedly bel canto trumpet work, all with Roberts adding velvety obbligatos for extra drapery. The delicate melody of “Better Than Yesterday” was caressed along by Ode’s deft cymbal whereas the closing “Night Song” combined delicate flute-like musings from DeFrancesco’s fingers to some cabaret piano swing, all closing out with his Miles-muted trumpet to end the evening with soft pastels.
The wide palate of colors created by the artist via keyboards, horn and voice showed that DeFranceso continues the tradition of not only the smoky keyboards, but of Italian art in three media.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Poncho Sanchez 04/06-09, Oz Noy 04/13-14, Roberta Gambarini 04/19-21, and Tierney Sutton 04/27-28