Incredible! documents a unique musical encounter, the first time that
Jimmy Smith has recorded with another organist, the equally great
Joey DeFrancesco. First
DeFrancesco is heard with his usual trio (with guitarist Paul Bollenbeck and drummer
Byron Landham), racing through heated versions of "The Champ," "When You're Smiling," and "Indiana" in addition to an emotional rendition of "The Good Life." The music is as exciting as one would expect from
DeFrancesco. For the second half of the CD,
Smith and his trio join the younger organist on a pair of medleys. The first one starts out with the blues "The Reverend" but then, after three-and-a-half minutes, it segues into an odd wandering version of "Yesterdays" before closing with "My Romance." The second medley -- six-and-a-half minutes of
Smith's blues "The Skeezer" that becomes a heated "St. Thomas" -- is more like it. The two organists are quite compatible (
DeFrancesco has long had
Smith's style down pat) and, although the results are not quite
Incredible! (it is far from shocking that these two organ masters can jam a blues together!), this CD should greatly interest both organ fans and jazz historians. ~ Scott Yanow