November 1997

Marchel Ivery and Joey DeFrancesco
Marchel Ivery Meets Joey DeFrancesco
Leaning House

By Jim Ferguson

DeFrancesco's latest incendiary musical encounter finds him pairing off with veteran tenorist Marchel Ivery. Helping keep the burners turned up are drummer Andrew Griffith and guitarist Clint Strong, who provide more than their share of the excitement.

The album kicks off with "Blues Walk," an uptempo 12-bar number that features burning contributions by all concerned-including plenty of interaction, typified by the way DeFrancesco supports Strong's solo and then picks up and carries a motif into his own first chorus. "Scrapple From The Apple" and "Lester Leaps In" are equally energetic, while "Makin' Whoopee" and "Hip Sippie Blues" groove mightily from start to finish. But these guys can also play slow and soulful, as they demonstrate on "Lover Man"; Ivery tenderly renders the melody and brings things to a conclusion with a masterful display of taste and phrasing. In terms of straight-ahead blowing, this is about as good as it gets.