Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Organist Joey DeFrancesco recently earned a Grammy nomination for his album In The Key Of The Universe.
(Photo: Jay Gilbert)In the wake of his recent Grammy nomination, Joey DeFrancesco has released a live music video for his composition “It Swung Wide Open,” the studio version of which appears on his latest album, In The Key Of The Universe. (Mack Avenue).
Filmed at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, the video, which premieres below, features DeFrancesco—winner of the Organ category in the 2019 DownBeat Readers Poll—in a blazing performance alongside veteran drummer Billy Hart and saxophonist Troy Roberts, both of whom appear on the album.
In The Key Of The Universe is among the nominees in the Grammy category Best Instrumental Jazz Album, alongside the Branford Marsalis Quartet’s The Secret Between The Shadow And The Soul (OKeh/Sony Masterworks), Brad Mehldau’s Finding Gabriel (Nonesuch), Joshua Redman’s Come What May (Nonesuch) and the quartet album Christian McBride’s New Jawn (Mack Avenue).
“I was thrilled to hear about the nomination,” DeFrancesco wrote in an email. “As artists, we put our heart and soul into our music, and recognition from your peers on such a grand level as the Recording Academy is truly an honor I sincerely appreciate. It’s not about winning for me—this is my fifth nomination—but I’m grateful to be able to get my music to the people and appreciate every person who plays a role in making that happen.”
The album includes an 11-minute rendition of Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan,” featuring a guest appearance by the legendary saxophonist. Hart plays drums on the track, nearly 50 years after contributing to Sanders’ original recording of the song on the 1969 album Karma. Sanders appears on two other tracks from the album: “And So It Is” and the title tune.
Regarding his work with DeFrancesco on In The Key Of The Universe, Hart said, “Besides his talent and the fact that he’s kept up with the current evolution of the music, he’s doing something that no one else is doing on the organ ... .”
In a four-star review in the April issue of DownBeat, Jim Macnie wrote, “Though there’s plenty of bounce and swing in play throughout the 10-track program, DeFrancesco’s self-professed embrace of spiritual jazz employs the kind of contemplative aura that gave so many of yesteryear’s exploratory efforts their personality.”
The Grammy Awards will be presented on Jan. 26, 2020, and a portion of the ceremony will be broadcast live by CBS.
For a complete list of nominations, visit the Recording Academy’s Grammy website. DB
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
D’Angelo achieved commercial and critical success experimenting with a fusion of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and hip-hop.
Oct 14, 2025 1:47 PM
D’Angelo, a Grammy-winning R&B and neo-soul singer, guitarist and pianist who exerted a profound influence on 21st…
Kandace Springs channeled Shirley Horn’s deliberate phrasing and sublime self-accompaniment during her set at this year’s Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival.
Sep 30, 2025 12:28 PM
Janis Burley, the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival’s founder and artistic director, did not, as might be…
Jim McNeely’s singular body of work had a profound and lasting influence on many of today’s top jazz composers in the U.S. and in Europe.
Oct 7, 2025 3:40 PM
Pianist Jim McNeely, one of the most distinguished large ensemble jazz composers of his generation, died Sept. 26 at…
Drummond was cherished by generations of mainstream jazz listeners and bandleaders for his authoritative tonal presence, a defining quality of his style most apparent when he played his instrument unamplified.
Nov 4, 2025 11:39 AM
Ray Drummond, a first-call bassist who appeared on hundreds of albums as a sideman for some of the top names in jazz…
