“Papa” John DeFrancesco
Big Shot
Savant Records
By George W. Harris

You know that anyone who’s been around long enough to have played with the Dorsey Borthers Orchestra knows how to swing. “Papa” John D has got the B3 in his blood, and he’s passed it on to his sons Joey and John Jr., who contribute to this family affair on keyboards and guitars respectively, along with Jerry Weldon/ts, Mike Boone/b and Byron Landham/dr. The originals are all deeply groove infested, with “Nola” giving homage to the Crescent City with a boogaloo beat, and the rest of the originals delive ring a real party atmosphere. The Gene Ammons toe tapper “Red Top” features some marvelous tenor work by Weldon, while “Too Young To Go Steady” is as bel canato as Pavarotti. The ringer is the delicious take of the Doors tune, “Riders On The Storm” which is as logical a choice as it is swinging. Let’s get a whole disc of this kind of stuff, and see what the 2 generations do with it. Fun family music that will liven up the household.