Joey Jazz

Jazz shows are much better than any other form of live music because they don't take place in basketball stadiums-which means buying a ticket gives fans the opportunity to actually see the people onstage. This comes in handy when checking out a guy like Joey DeFrancesco, a Pennsylvania native known for his chops on the Hammond B-3 organ. If DeFrancesco isn't the best jazz organist on the planet, then he's definitely near the top. He's widely regarded as the guy who kept organ-based jazz alive during the halcyon days of the synthesizer and never bores listeners thanks to an energetic repertoire that includes bop, blues, soul and a pinch of avant-garde. At 17, he recorded and toured Europe with Miles Davis. Since his late-'80s stint with the legendary trumpeter, his nearly-one-album-per-year output has made him a household name in the jazz community.
Fri., Jan. 18, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 19, 8 p.m., 2008