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Review Mon Feb 05 2007
Cold....and Still Swingin'
To be classed a music legend, you can’t have greatness dulled by suckiness or even mediocrity. Also, if your mentor is a legend, you don’t get far by resting on your laurels and riding coattails.
Friday night, the Count Basie Orchestra and the Joey DeFrancesco Trio played to an almost capacity crowd at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Count Basie Orchestra has been in the business of swinging for years; Joey DeFrancesco is a student of Jimmy Smith, a titan of the Hammond B3 organ who passed away in late 2005.
Both guests are known for up-tempo arrangements, but the slower selections also accentuated the musicianship of the performers in the context of solos and in the group. Not to say that the up-tempo stuff disappointed; the solos fitted seamlessly, and the show rolled along quickly, clocking at just over two hours. All in all, a night where a jazz institution were in top form, and a player on the upswing of his career may have introduced himself to a new audience with a strong performance.