Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco
Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco
Genres: jazz, guitar, organ, piano, keyboards
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About Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco
Danny Gatton was considered "the Greatest Unknown Guitar Player" for decades. He was a child prodigy. Daniel Wood Gatton Jr. (September 4, 1945 – October 4, 1994) was an American virtuoso guitarist who combined blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country to create a musical style he called "redneck jazz". Danny Gatton Career Daniel Wood Gatton Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., in 1945. The son of a rhythm guitarist, Gatton started playing at the age of nine. From 1960–1964 he played jazz guitar with the Offbeats, then worked as a session musician in Nashville. When he returned to Washington, he drew attention in the 1970s as a member of Liz Meyer & Friends and other local bands. He recorded his debut album, American Music (1975), followed by Redneck Jazz (1978) with pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons appearing as a guest. He founded the band the Redneck Jazz Explosion. Although Gatton could play most genres of music, including jazz, blues, bluegrass, and rock, he was known as a country and rockabilly guitarist. He toured with singers Roger Miller and Robert Gordon. He was sometimes called "The Telemaster" and "the world's greatest unknown guitarist". Guitarist Amos Garrett called him "The Humbler" for his ability to defeat other guitarists in "head-cutting" jam sessions. On this point, however, Gatton declared: “The biggest humbler to me, of all time, would be Lenny Breau. He was the best I have ever seen." In 1987, nine years after his previous album, he released Unfinished Business, an eclectic collection of pop, rock, and country music that Guitar World magazine named the tenth best album of the 1980s. He got a contract with his first major record label and released another eclectic album, 88 Elmira Street (Elektra, 1991), which contained a cover version of the theme song from the animated TV series The Simpsons. Gatton turned toward jazz for the albums New York Stories (Blue Note, 1992) and Relentless (1994) with Joey DeFrancesco. Death On October 4, 1994, Gatton locked himself in the garage on his farm in Newburg, Maryland, and committed suicide by gunshot. Although he left no note nor explanation, family members and close friends believe he suffered from depression for many years. Friend and drummer Dave Elliott said that he thought Gatton had suffered from depression since they met more than twenty years earlier. Wikipedia: Danny Gatton Joey DeFrancesco Joey DeFrancesco (April 10, 1971 – August 25, 2022) was an American jazz organist, trumpeter, saxophonist, and occasional singer. He released more than 30 albums under his own name, and recorded extensively as a sideman with such leading jazz performers as trumpeter Miles Davis, saxophonist Houston Person, and guitarist John McLaughlin. DeFrancesco signed his first record deal at the age of 16 and over the years recorded and toured internationally with David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Coryell, Frank Wess, Benny Golson, James Moody, Steve Gadd, Danny Gatton, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Cobb, George Benson, Pat Martino, Tony Monaco, John Scofield, Lee Ritenour, Joe Lovano, and had prominent session work with a variety of musicians, including Ray Charles, Bette Midler, Janis Siegel, Diana Krall, Jimmy Smith, and Van Morrison. Early life and education DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 1971. He was born into a musical family that included three generations of jazz musicians. He was named after his grandfather, Joseph DeFrancesco, a jazz musician who played the saxophone and clarinet. His father, "Papa" John DeFrancesco, is an organist who played nationally and received the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame's Living Legend Award in 2013. DeFrancesco began playing the organ at the age of 4 and was playing songs by Jimmy Smith verbatim by the time he was 5. His father John began taking him to gigs from the age of 5, letting him sit in on sets. At the age of 10, DeFrancesco joined a band in Philadelphia that included jazz musicians Hank Mobley and Philly Joe Jones. He was considered a fixture at local jazz clubs, opening shows for Wynton Marsalis and B.B. King. DeFrancesco attended the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. There he studied music specializing in piano and organ. During his high school years, he won numerous awards, including the Philadelphia Jazz Society McCoy Tyner Scholarship. He was a finalist in the first Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Career DeFrancesco playing at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam in 2010. Recording DeFrancesco was 16 years old when he signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia Records. The following year he released his first record, titled All of Me. His performance on All of Me has been attributed as helping bring back the organ to jazz music during the 1980s. That same year, DeFrancesco joined Miles Davis and his band on a five-week concert tour in Europe. He followed up with playing keyboards on Davis' album Amandla, which reached No. 1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart in 1989. DeFrancesco started playing the trumpet around the same time, inspired by the sound of Davis. DeFrancesco was originally spotted by Davis during a performance on the television show called Time Out. He was performing on the set along with high school classmate Christian McBride when Davis asked the show's host, "what's your organ player's name", referring to DeFrancesco. DeFrancesco's recording deal with Columbia included 5 albums. In addition to All of Me, he released Where Were You? (1990), Part III (1991), Reboppin' (1992), and Live at the 5 Spot (1993). Wikipedia: Joey Defrancesco Website: Joey Defrancesco Relentless Review by Scott Yanow This was a logical matchup. Danny Gatton was a high-powered and very versatile guitarist who could play virtually any modern style. His tonal distortions and use of feedback were impressive but he could also swing as hard as anyone around. The same could be said of organist Joey DeFrancesco and, together with bassist John Previti and drummer Timm Biery, the lead voices romp on a variety of fairly basic material with lots of blues and a few standards. Although no new revelations are offered, the joyful chancetaking of Danny Gatton kept the music from ever becoming predictable or too relaxed; he certainly challenges DeFrancesco throughout this set. AllMusic: Relentless - Danny Gatton & Joey DeFrancesco
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