A prodigious talent at an early age, Joey DeFrancesco began taking a strong interest in the organ. At sixteen he signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia Records, releasing his first record "All Of Me" at seventeen. This record was single handedly responsible for the great resurgence of the Hammond sound in popular music. Also in his seventeenth year, he was called on by the great Miles Davis to join his band, and toured Europe. It was at that time that Joey, inspired by Miles’s sound, picked up the trumpet & started playing. At eighteen, Joey began touring with his own quartet.
At twenty-two, John McLaughlin called him along with drummer Dennis Chambers, to form the group the "Free Spirits". This band toured extensively for four years. Joey has been around the world and back dozens of times with his own trio, he has also played and recorded with some of the greatest musicians in the world such as Ray Charles, David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval, Benny Golson, James Moody, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Cobb, George Benson, John Scofield, and many more. He has won the Down Beat Critics poll ten times & the Readers poll ever year since 2005 along with countless Jazz Journalist & other Jazz awards. In 2004 Joey was nominated for a Grammy for his record "Falling In Love Again," and again in 2010 for "Never Can Say Goodbye."
Join us for a very special - and quite possibly "once in a lifetime" opportunity - to catch this jazz master right here in Akron on his current tour of the United States, joined by drummer extraordinaire, Jason Brown (Pat Martino, Lizz Wright, Cedar Walton, Wayne Escoffery, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Amina Figarova), and Akron's own, guitar virtuoso Dan Wilson (Russell Malone, Les McCann, Christian Mcbride, Eric Marienthal and Dave Stryker.)
TWO shows (7PM, 9:30PM), ONE night only, tickets will sell quickly - act now to reserve your spot!