In a way,
Joey DeFrancesco's entire career has been devoted to
Jimmy Smith. Ever since he arrived in the late '80s,
DeFrancesco was known for his dexterous assimilation of
Smith's tasteful soul-jazz, and he expanded on that basic sound as the '90s progressed. It was likely just a matter of time before he sat down and recorded a full-fledged tribute to the Master of the Jazz Organ -- which is exactly what he did with
Champ: Dedicated to Jimmy Smith. Working with bassist
Randy Johnston and drummer
Billy Hart,
DeFrancesco keeps the spirit of
Smith's classic Blue Note sessions alive, and
Champ is indeed an expert emulation of that clean yet funky sound -- so much so that certain listeners may wonder what the point is and why not just listen to
Smith's own albums. That's a valid complaint, since
DeFrancesco rarely finds a voice of his own on this record, but the album itself is a good listen for that very reason. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine