In what promises to be one of the most exhilarating concerts to ever occur under the roof of Alice Tully Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center (J@LC) will bring together four of the greatest jazz organists today - DR. LONNIE SMITH, JIMMY MCGRIFF, RHODA SCOTT (making a rare New York appearance), and JOEY DEFRANCESCO - for “Jammin' on the Hammond - An Organ Summit" on Thursday, November 29 and Saturday, December 1, 2001 at 8pm.
With two majestic Hammond B-3 organs on stage, the four organists will rotate through varying combinations during the concert, concluding with an incredible finale jam. Accompanying them will be noted sidemen who specialize in this genre: saxophonists HOUSTON PERSON, JAMES CARTER, and RONNIE CUBER, guitarists PAT MARTINO, JOHN ABERCROMBIE, and RANDY JOHNSTON, and drummer IDRIS MUHAMMAD.
Tickets at $45, 35, 30, and 25 are available at the Alice Tully Hall box office, by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500, or via www.jazzatlincolncenter.org.
The Hammond B-3 organ has always held a unique place in jazz - in the right hands, it can make fiery, sophisticated, and intensely swinging sounds. Although “Wild" Bill Davis and Count Basie played it as early as the 1930s, it was Jimmy Smith's soulful records in the 1950s that brought the organ into the mainstream of jazz. In the 1960s, Larry Young and others translated Coltrane's rhythmic and harmonic innovations through the powerful instrument. In recent years, a new wave of organists - including Barbara Dennerlein, Larry Goldings, John Medeski, and Joey DeFrancesco - have sparked a revival of interest in the irresistible grooves of organ jazz.
Listing Information:
Producer: Jazz at Lincoln Center
Event: Jammin' on the Hammond - An Organ Summit Featuring organists Jimmy McGriff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Rhoda Scott, and Joey DeFrancesco, with Pat Martino, Houston Person, James Carter, Ronnie Cuber, John Abercrombie, Randy Johnston, and Idris Muhammad.
Date/Time: Thursday & Saturday, November 29 & December 1, 2001, 8pm
Place: Alice Tully Hall, 65th Street and Broadway
Tickets: $45, 35, 30, and 25, available at the Alice Tully Hall box office, by calling CenterCharge at (212) 721-6500, or via www.jazzatlincolncenter.org.
Joey DeFrancesco was born April 10, 1971 in Springfield, PA and raised in the Philadelphia area. The son of Papa John DeFrancesco, also a Hammond organ player, he got an early start on piano at age five, but switched to the organ within a year. He won major awards in high school including the Philadelphia Jazz Society's McCoy Tyner Scholarship. At age 16, he was a finalist in the first Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition in 1987. He had a record contract with Columbia and was playing with Miles Davis before he graduated high school, and has led his own groups since. He has recorded over a dozen albums, the most recent of which include The Champ: Dedicated to Jimmy Smith, Incredible, and Singin' and Swingin'.
Jimmy McGriff was born on April 3, 1936 in Philadelphia, PA. Although both parents were pianists, McGriff began playing bass and saxophone. By the time he finished Roosevelt and Germantown High Schools, he also played drums, vibes, and piano. After studying at Combe College of Music in Philadelphia and The Juilliard School, McGriff became an MP in Korea and worked on the Philadelphia police force for 2
For more information contact All About Jazz.
