js “40” was recorded in celebration of Joey DeFrancesco’s 40th birthday, and seems to present an overview of the different music he has played over the years. Taken as that, this CD’s eclectic nature makes sense, but it still can be a little frustrating for the listener looking for some continuity. De Francesco is all over the jazz internet radio stations these days with his smart modern hard bop and flawless technique on the B3, and that was the music I was looking for when I picked up this CD. The first two tracks on “40” start off with Joey’s expected trademark abstract bluesy cross between Jimmy Smith and Larry Young and then at track three this CD takes off in all kinds of directions. The next four tracks veer from Joey singing a soft ballad to hip-hop gospel, Ray Charles style jump blues and an old school B3 ballad that features a dead on imitation of Jimmy Smith’s weird tremolo technique. Its all well done and excellently played, but the ADHD musical shuffle seems to lack any logic or flow except as a possible career overview as mentioned earlier.

“40” closes with more material similar to the opening tracks and once again Joey shows why he is today’s top player on the Hammond B3. Despite my complaints about consistency, this is a good CD and if you are a DeFrancesco fan who wants to hear Joey cutting up on a smorgasbord of musical styles, then this one is for you.