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(Top) 1 Overview 2 Critical reception 3 Track listing 4 Personnel 5 References 6 External links

Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson

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Studio album by

Joey DeFrancesco

Released

September 14, 2010

Recorded

June 5–6, 2010

Genre

Jazz

Length

59:24

Label

HighNote

Producer

Glenn Ferracone, Joey DeFrancesco

Joey DeFrancesco chronology

One Take, Vol. 4
(2010)

Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson
(2010)

Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson is an album by jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, a tribute to deceased entertainer Michael Jackson.^[1] The album was released in 2010 on HighNote Records and was produced by DeFrancesco and Glenn Ferracone. It was nominated for the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Overview[edit]

This album is one of several tribute albums released by DeFrancesco; in 2002 he paid tribute to fellow Philadelphian Don Patterson,^[2] plus Jimmy Smith in 1999,^[3] Frank Sinatra in 2004^[4] and Horace Silver in 2009.^[5]

Along with DeFrancesco on various organs, and trumpet on "Beat It",^[6] the band consists of Paul Bollenbackonguitars, Byron Landham on drums, Pat Bianchi on keyboards, and percussionist Carmen Intorre.^[7]

The album was nominated for the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album^[8] but lost to the Stanley Clarke album The Stanley Clarke Band.^[9]^[10]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Buffalo News	^[11]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	^[6]
All About Jazz	^[7]

Glen Astarita of All About Jazz gave the album a positive review writing that it "renders a happy medium by jazzing up the [Michael Jackson] songbook...with jazz, funk and rock stylizations, while retaining its inherent components" and calls it a "tunefully upbeat program".^[7]

Jeff Tamarkin commented in AllMusic that the tracks "depart from [the originals] substantially enough that they never feel like copies" and that "some of these tracks...seriously rock". He also praised guitarist Paul Bollenback, proclaiming him to be "on fire".^[1]

Jeff Simon wrote a mixed review for The Buffalo News. He lamented that Jackson's『music isn’t nearly as adaptable to chitlin circuit Hammond B-3 wails and screams and staccato stabs as you might assume』and the songs "are just a little too pretty for this kind of organ funk". He also poked fun at DeFrancesco's attempt to recreate Vincent Price's narration on "Thriller", quipping that it makes "you want to moonwalk all over his head". He did praise Bollenback's guitar playing, writing『you’d have to be made of granite not to enjoy the heck out of it』and closes his review by calling the album "great jazz fun".^[11]

Karl Stark wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer that DeFrancisco takes "a few commercial layers off [Jackson's songs] and appl[ies] some verve from a jazz-soul point of view". He did complain that "Rock with You" is "pretty commercial" but did praise the drumming of Byron Landham writing that he "really rocks the house".^[6]

Track listing[edit]

"Thriller" (Rod Temperton) 7:47
"Never Can Say Goodbye" (Clifton Davis) 5:52
"Beat It" (Michael Jackson) 7:12
"Human Nature" (John Bettis, Steve Porcaro) 5:03
"Rock with You" (Temperton) 6:30
"She's Out of My Life" (Tom Bahler) 6:43
"The Way You Make Me Feel" (Jackson) 4:55
"Lady in My Life" (Temperton) 5:36
"Billie Jean" (Jackson) 9:46

Personnel[edit]

Joey DeFrancesco – Numa organ, KeyB Duo organ, Numa piano, Hammond organ, trumpet, producer, vocals
Paul Bollenback – electric guitar, nylon guitar
Byron Landham – drums
Pat Bianchi – keyboards
Carmen Intorre – percussion
Samantha Aurelio – backing vocals
Ann Fontinella - violin
Annie Sciola – backing vocals

Technical

Glenn Ferracone – producer, engineer, mastering, mixing
Joe Fields – executive producer
Mark Reynolds – sound effects
R. Andrew Lepley – cover photo

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c Tamarkin, Jeff. "Review: Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Lodder, Steve (2008). Classic Hammond Organ: Know the Players, Play the Music. Backbeat Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-87930-929-9. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: The Champ". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Yanow, Scott. "Review: Plays Sinatra His Way". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Nastos, Michael G. "Review: Finger Poppin: Celebrating the Music of Horace Silver". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ ^a ^b ^c Stark, Karl (26 December 2010). "New Recordings". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ ^a ^b ^c Astarita, Glenn (10 October 2010). "Joey DeFrancesco Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Amorosi, A.D. (10 December 2010). "From Israel and Paris, prequel to Kimmel show". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Hadley, Diane (14 February 2011). "Grammy Winner Stanley Clarke Reflects On His Win And Two Nominations". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

^ Mergner, Lee (13 February 2011). "Spalding, Hancock and Bridgewater Among Jazz Grammy Winners". JazzTimes. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.