If you’ve been in the jazz scene for awhile, there’s only one Rudy who everyone knows, the revered engineer Rudy Van Gelder, whose studio and mixing style is simply part of the jazz dna. The sound of the drums that comes out of a RVG recording cannot be missed, as well as the warm separation of instruments. B3 masters like Jimmy Smith had their sound defined by their famed Blue Note session under the tutelage of Mr. Van Gelder. Hammondmeister Joey DeFrancesco has been in the hallowed studios before, and this one, dedicated to the famed board man, is a real cooker. The classic B3 trio setup with Steve Cotter/g and Ramon Banda/dr is in all its glory here, as Joey D daintily hits the high notes on “I Don’t Wanna Be Kissed” or gives your sub woofer a workout on the palpable as well as audible “Stardust.” Cotter’s guitar is gorgeously lonely on “Goodbye” and sashay’s over the B3’s klippety klopping on “Canadian Sunset” while DeFrancesco’s fingers nimbly dance on the majestic intros to “Up Jumped Spring” and “After You’ve Gone” before turning into wonderful workouts. As much a comfort as a grilled cheese sandwich with either ham or tomato.
High Note Records