Organist
Joey DeFrancesco's debut as a leader would be impressive even if he had not been 17 at the time!
DeFrancesco, whose sound has always been strongly influenced by
Jimmy Smith (sounding like an exact duplicate on "All of Me"), is backed by an eight-piece horn section on two songs and a 16-piece string section on three others but more important to the music is the playing of guitarist
Lou Volpe, drummer
Buddy Williams and the electric bass of
Alex Blake.
Houston Person's tenor is also a strong asset on two of the eight numbers in a program that ranges from swing to more modern funk. A strong start to a colorful career. ~ Scott Yanow