Joey DeFrancesco, famend jazz musician who labored with Ray Charles, has died

Joey DeFrancesco has died, his spouse and supervisor Gloria DeFrancesco has confirmed.

The famend jazz organist, composer and bandleader who labored with acts together with Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Bette Midler was 51 years outdated.

“The love of my life is now in peace with the angels,” wrote Gloria on Instagram on Friday (August 26). “Proper now I’ve only a few phrases. Thanks for the outpouring of affection and help coming in from all over the place. Joey cherished you all.”

A reason for demise was not offered.

DeFrancesco performed trumpet, piano, saxophone and synths however, as Pitchfork factors out, was finest recognized for reviving the usage of the Hammond B3 organ within the trendy jazz scene.

The musician’s profession started taking off within the Nineteen Eighties. He would go on to launch greater than 30 recordings as a bandleader.

He was born in 1971 in a city outdoors of Philadelphia. His father is the acclaimed organist “Papa” John DeFrancesco, who introduced Joey a B3 organ when he was 4 years outdated.

The prodigious expertise was performing within the Settlement Jazz Ensemble on the Settlement Music College in Philadelphia by his teenage years, and at 17 he was requested to tour with Miles Davis.

He launched his first album ‘All Of Me’ in 1989 and went on to launch dozens extra earlier than his ultimate album, ‘Extra Music’, in 2021.

5 of his albums have acquired Grammy nominations together with his 2019 LP, ‘In The Key Of The Universe’, which options some songs written by Pharoah Sanders and Billy Hart.

In 2018 DeFrancesco labored Van Morrison for a set of originals and requirements referred to as ‘You’re Driving Me Loopy’.

Good bye to my brother Joey deFrancesco. We shared among the biggest live shows of my life . We’ll miss you!!! pic.twitter.com/EPImvI5GB8

— John Mclaughlin (@jmcl_gtr) August 26, 2022

Tributes have adopted for the late musician together with from jazz fusion pioneer John Mclaughlin who mentioned: “Good bye to my brother Joey DeFrancesco. We shared among the biggest live shows of my life  We’ll miss you!!!”

Musician Alex Skolnick wrote: “Unhappy loss: Noticed him many instances, at all times w high guitarists, well-known (John McLaughlin) to native legend (Paul Bollenback)”.

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