The title track of Joey DeFrancesco's 2012 album Wonderful! Wonderful! pairs the Hammond B3 organ virtuoso with guitarist Larry Coryell in a performance that celebrates the soul jazz tradition while pushing it in contemporary directions. DeFrancesco's two-chorus organ solo over the expansive 80-bar AAB form at 272 beats per minute in B-flat major is a tour de force of rhythmic drive and harmonic imagination, his left-hand bass lines propelling the music forward while his right hand delivers melodic ideas with the authority of a born showman. Coryell follows with a single commanding chorus, his electric guitar cutting through the organ's rich texture with the fusion-influenced edge that defined his long career. Drummer Jimmy Cobb, the legendary timekeeper from Miles Davis's Kind of Blue sessions, provides a rhythmic foundation of impeccable taste and swing. The Sherman Edwards composition, originally a 1957 pop hit, is transformed into a vehicle for extended jazz improvisation that honors its joyful spirit. Wonderful! Wonderful! was released on the HighNote label and documents DeFrancesco's gifts as a bandleader who could integrate diverse musical personalities into a cohesive ensemble sound.
