I'll Drink To That ~ George Benson & Ron Escheté ~ 2006

[@cardoma]

Joey DeFrancesco was a monster musician. Thanks for the amazing music. RIP Joey 🕊

[@sommelierramon]

sometimes there is no best. He was best.

[@gilbertbronsal3007]

Let's see... been playing the Hammond B-3 since he was 5, took up the trumpet in his late teens, took up the tenor sax in his 40's, AND he sings, ( & Beyonce has 32 Grammy's?) Oboy..

[@l4player]

Always a great day at the office when you Rock George Benson's world 8:39 - well done Mr. Escheté

[@troysanders7775]

A better day at the office when you are smart enough to understand that George unlike Ron wasn't playing his own guitar. In fact he wasn't even playing an archtop but rather a Les Paul. You do understand the difference between a arcthtop acoustic-electric and a solidbody dont you? Now when you put them together with both on their own guitars you might make sense.

[@kevinsspanish]

And GB enjoyed that..made his day..that’s the way it should be..everyone having a great time and no excuses😎👌

[@fweddyfwintsone4491]

Great group all around. Kudos to the drummer as well who swings his butt off.

[@rickcuilty3345]

Ron that is super tasty, just love the way you developed and shared your solos and trading !

[@marclerner3344]

RIP Joey D. May your memory be a blessing... ☮️

[@jimtakahashi4638]

I came to know Ron Escheté via Gene Harris years ago, and have been a big fan of his since.

[@kathyfarrell4134]

Imagine GB is 72 and still touring and sounds as goid as ever. My all time favorite artist, his music hits my heartstrings. First saw him live at Hofstra University, 1977 tickets 50th row center and 12 bucks a pop. Times have sure changed but George still puting it out there and helping others. Gotta love him.

[@carloalbertoproto]

George Benson is 78!!!!

[@guitarman6742]

Joey slays the organ.

[@lucky4724]

This thing hotter than fish grease!!! Daaaam!! #DaBluesBaby🎶🎵🎼🔥♨️🔥♨️♨️🔥♨️🔥♨️🔥♨️🔥♨️

[@ottaviozambardi5803]

Giants! (RIP Joey)

[@bloombloombloom61]

thumbs up for Ron Eschete

[@gearland6134]

your ass! why nigga dont let benson play a tune on his guitar? benson number one his number shit, im sorry!

[@danmcbmusic]

@@gearland6134 looks like G bought his own along. And they both killed it!

[@omko73]

@@gearland6134 wow

[@BeachJazzMusic]

Great playing by everyone here. George and Ronnie playing great but not trying to show each other up. Everyone knows how great George is but sadly, few know how great Ron is and hopefully this will show that he is one of the masters.

[@bobboberson2024]

Damn straight! Love how Joey actually plays the beginning of GB's original solo from the album. That album solo is one of George's best ever, in my opinion. That's saying something considering the great moments he's given us. Everyone killed it that night.

[@JulioHerrlein]

Amazing and inspiring playing of every musician ! RIP Joey DeFrancesco !

[@jongibsonOO]

One of my favorite blues performances of all time!

[@TheEleatic]

I could listen to JD and GB together forever.

[@silver10gold]

This is wonderful I've always known how great George is but now I've discovered Ron another elite guitar player. I love the vibe and the interaction between everyone. What a fantastic and intuitive band.

[@mariagladysangel]

George Benson. Fantastic!

[@marcosmaia4832]

A blues played by great, great, great musicians, all of them! Thanks for the post!

[@hanziwatdan5373]

Damn B3 blues , dangerous music in the car ,drive in rocket mode ....

[@50CJAZZ]

So great Ron! Cool

[@haseem7059]

Ron is great George Benson and Eric Gale and others made it greatest I am impressed with the sound from Lawman

[@pickinstone]

I like how GB adjusts to the middle position pickup at around 4:20. I think he was compensating for the dark tone of the Les Paul. Imagine that, playing with more treble as a jazz guitarist... It's definitely a concept that helped me on my journey to find my own sound. Gets you outta the mud for sure. I mean, we don't all have to follow in Pat Metheny's footsteps. Even Jim Hall played with more treble than people give him credit for, especially in his earlier recordings (he even played a Les Paul in his really early records). That said, regardless of the guitar, GB always lays it DOWN. And yes, Ron Eschete SHOULD be a household name. He's the only guy up on this stage that I actually met, and took lesson from (a few, great, lessons). He's a beautiful soul, and a walking talking history book of all that is jazz. If you live in the LA area, LOOK HIM UP and get some lessons from him quick!

[@ChromaticHarp]

I used to see Ron playing around the LA Area. Places like Lowe’s in Santa Monica, and a place called Chadneys (I think it was in the burbank area)

[@georgefernandez3541]

Ramon Banda on drums laying down the down!! funky

[@jimvild8357]

Ramon really driving the band.Playing way on top of the beat without rushing the tempo.Hard to do but he does it.

[@Navroze]

Those jams dont seem to happen any more!!!! Terrific music...

[@andybaldman]

Because humanity is being destroyed by technology.

[@haseem7059]

Ron has made by impact that God for him

[@MidnightJazzer]

Holy Toledo,,,,smok'en, to my dad and mines old friend Ronnie, uncle Mundy would have been on fire with that session, (RIP Joey, George & Ramon!!

[@Ocean8881]

George is still alive and well.

[@emmanuelsmith826]

Greatttttttt performance

[@michaelthompson6452]

Yeah!!!!!!!

[@vidyagaem6775]

Wow those quotes by Joey are amazing.

[@rtblues]

Everyone what Mr. Benson is capable of and now, hopefully, more folks will know about Mr. Ron Eschette! Crushing this tune!

[@franchisemiami]

Great music making Ron!

[@joepalooka2145]

Joey DeFrancesco------!!!! Wow!

[@robertnelson5375]

Ron, you are amazing! During Covid time, practice, practice-- I'll get better but not this good! Inspiring.

[@jimmyc5498]

RIP Joey

[@cokidjazz]

This is a groove you don't find many places anymore. I spent 2 years with any organ trio + sax in Denver in the mid 1980's. It was one of the greatest musical experiences of my life and taught me so much

[@travelingman9763]

Ive performed with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Clarence Palmer, John Patton, Gloria Coleman , and others. Yep you are right!

[@chucktripp2852]

Hey Chief. Who was in your band.

[@korgtritonextreme100]

George has definitely met his musical match with Joey Defrancisco RIP. Ron Eschtet ain't no joke either. George was probably there to steal some stuff from Ron when he wasn't looking!

[@mldickson4350]

.......lmao, like Joey stealing Jimmy Smith ish. See my comment above when George knows what Joey is going to play before he even plays it. RIP Jimmy Smith/Joey Francesco

[@emeryrushmo]

GREATNESS!!!!

[@danmcbmusic]

epic guitar throw down! love this! big respect.

[@lpgoog]

Simply amazing! Love ❤️ the good shit that makes hair on my arms stand. These dudes can swing.

[@mortweiss3151]

Ronnie Kicks some ass and makes George work. Mort Weiss

[@caponsacchi]

Reminds me of the first time i caught Sonny Stitt and Jug (Gene Ammons)--at McKee's on Chicago's South Side (63rd and Cottage).. The first, always the best--because a full house. And a rhythm section of Donald Patterson, B3, Billy James, dr, and Joe D'Oriole, gtr. Never to be repeated. I'm glad I was there. Later Trane would bring his Quartet to the same location with Eric Dolphy (no room for McCoy's piano). But the crowd was sparse and uninterested--the groove just wasn't there. Intensity? lots. But it wasn't communicating. (Enjoyed talked to Jimmy Garrison on the break.)

[@webstercat]

Thanks for sharing.

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

Harkens back to the 21 yr old GB on a Les Paul, with Jack McDuff in France just blowing so hard straight from the gate...

[@doce7606]

Yeah ! first, may I say; thanks !, Mr Eschete, for your personal inspiration thru' your guitar manual(s) which were accessible and I referred-to when I was startin' out. Hip diagrams. Also, nice solo and choruses with George; I recognise some of your ideas. Here, I am also delighted to listen since this is the second time i've heard Mr DeFR. with two guitarists (the other being Sco and Mr Martino, lol !). George has so much musical personality and empathy; I like how he climaxes his solo in chord melody style like Wes. And since there's so much comping power available here I'm impressed with the different groupings created. peace and thanks for post

[@claymationwaves]

Heavenly

[@MarkTarmannPianoCheck_it_out]

4:00 George comping like a one man big band. wow

[@carypasseroff3331]

Miss U JOEY!!!!

[@sean-fw7zi]

i know its joey but man i love playing over the groove

[@derekduleba]

Dig the way that Joey references the beginning of George's solo from the original 1982 recording.

[@cliffworks748]

Having fun - I met Ron back in the 70's he is the only guitarist besides Joe Pass that Tommy Gumina felt comfortable handing rhythm and bass chores too. He is a complete master.

[@axeman2638]

Cooking, great stuff.

[@MichelBENEBIG]

Yesss !, it reminds Jimmy Smith's album 'Off the Top' !....

[@jazzydog]

2 of my fav guitar players!!! Thanks for sharing this Ronnie. God bless you!.

[@stevenmartinellimusic]

Now THAT'S a ... 'rhythm' guitarist!

[@guillaumeondoua9492]

George!!!!!

[@george0t]

I've only heard the album version with Jimmy Smith, but this is as equally insane. Thanks for posting.

[@johntechwriter]

Yeah, you can hear a lot of Jimmy’s phrasing and technique here. Though I think Joey is the more rounded (no pun intended) Hammond stylist, he makes the same mistake as everyone else when trying to “out-Jimmy” playing 12-bar blues. Which is to say, Joey drowns himself in an ocean of arpeggios, runs, and repeated syncopated riffs whose only purpose seems to be to impress the audience with the player’s technique. That playing style wears me out fast and I’ve got to say I never once saw Jimmy play like that. Instead he constructed his solos with the precision of Mozart, each chorus building on the one before until be the end of his solo we are felt with a beautiful edifice, whole, complete, and built with no unnecessary notes. By the same toke;, were he still with us, I’d prefer hearing what Lenny Breau would have done with this song - something more I hope than George’s shred session.

[@joaoh1941]

Great Joey De...

[@lugerochiodo7515]

Wow how great are these guys ,yeah George is one step down from God,however why weren't ,more compliments for joey he,s a monster player equal to everybody including George

[@מוטיהיבש-כ9י]

מלך האורגן המונד B,ג'ואי דה פרנצ'סקו נכון להיום מספר אחד בעולם.אני אוהב מעוד,מעוד את נגינתו. הלוואי שיגיע עוד הרבה פעמיים אלינו לישראל......פעם ראיתי אותו בחיפה וגם הצתלמנו יחד אחלה תמונה.ועוד פעם ראיתי אותו באילת בפסטיבל הג'אז בים האדום......נכתב ב 7,9,2016

[@palanzana]

yeah

[@robertolopez5186]

Woow! enjoyable Jamming! Joey, Mr. Benson and the great Ron Eschete... both guitarist throw all they stuff and burning that fingerboard.. Benson like always and Ron .. " His a Bad Cat!" ... I love this video :)

[@646879]

great stuff...if you like this you would like Scotty Anderson's duet on It Don't Mean a Thing

[@mikemckoy2933]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this wonderful clip. For me, Joey DeFrancesco and Ramón Banda seem to radiate joy - but witnessing the playful interaction between you and George Benson is a particularly rare and wonderful treat. Love it!

[@sashapushman]

George on accompanier the best!

[@TimNelson]

Ron, for those people in the know, is as respected by jazz guitarists in a very, very, very, (add another 20) very big way as swingin’ any who’ve thrown the strap over their shoulder.

[@ghairraigh]

George had recorded this with Jimmy Smith on 'Off the Top' so Joey DeFrancesco plays the damnedest Jimmy Smith solo~! ~before George takes it. All the while Ron is lurking and listening for about six minutes before playing a note. Then Ron's solo has George cracking up several times, and he and George follow with a great exchange the rest of the way.

[@joshlawrence8091]

glad to see Joey getting props here - he's amazing. his left hand/foot and this drummer sound AMAZING together.

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

Harkening back to the early work wth Jack McDuff

[@mortweiss3151]

My Guys with George! Mort

[@ChromaticHarp]

George doesn’t seem to play really fast in this session, although I’m sure he could. I have a cassette I recorded of George at Paul’s MaLl in Boston were he’s absolutely burnin.

[@Ocean8881]

I did expect him to really burn after hearing his solo on the same tune on Jimmy Smith s recording. That was the most amazing solo I have heard by him besides the one on the live version of All the things you are.

[@Ocean8881]

His solo on Jimmy s album is the most powerful I ve heard by him. How can he project and phrase so well with hardly any legatos and a dry treble ish sound..

[@ChicotAlainVenturachic161]

Fabuleux musiciens !

[@AMFUNKII]

chaud++

[@HalethDagore]

Soo cool! Thank you for posting!

[@jean-lucbersou758]

Crazy wonderful guys .....Thanks !

[@fernandoferessauma]

Yeahhhhhhhhh

[@caponsacchi]

Ron's single note lines are coming through more clearly than George's--maybe mic placement, or his boosting the treble end. He's pushing George into some advanced harmonics yet holding his own with swinging, aggressive, inventive melodic and harmonic ideas--George may have the edge in soloing with chorded melodies. Octaves? Best left to Wes.

[@troysanders7775]

You may have missed it but George unlike Ron is playing a solid body with thin strings (clearly not what he normally plays). Ron was playing his own guitar. I would think that would make some difference. The fact that George was able to execute what he did is purely amazing.

[@paulgibby6932]

3:34 - 4:18 nice pedal tone, Joey!

[@4scheveningen]

Now convert it into heavely 432Hz asap

[@45patakira]

super. Et il y en a encore qui n'apprécie pas...

[@sebbo1496]

george is such an entertainer. the way he does those rhythmic themes in his solo repeating them so the band can join in on them. real music from the heart. too bad his guitar was so out of tune. probably noticed right after he started but didnt wanna stop the show. was still great but couldve been even greater. but great session nonetheless. lots fo great interplay by everyone

[@Artistimberlake]

8:35 geeezzzz!!!

[@paulgibby6932]

George liked that one too!

[@peterlee7723]

GB egging Ron on, so he brought it with a sweet outside/inside melodic groove. You can't teach that, it's in the moment. GB said oh..... I'm in an alley fight.

[@blacjazzz]

Was that work or was that WORK? When you get masters like that unleashing...

[@rubendez]

yep both ron and joey made george sweat!!!

[@ChromaticHarp]

Is this at steamers in Fullerton, California? I remember Joey D used to play there, but I didn’t know about this with GB . Ron lives in nearby LA….

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

What's better than a killer organ trio? One with GB

[@paulgibby6932]

2:34 great minds think alike

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

How much fun was that? Burnin on all cylinders....

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

So you and Ramon were supporting Joey D' and GB showed up? God Damn this is a fantastic capture, thank you Maestro, been really enjoying Joey D's "Goodfellas" concert Bern 99, Frank Vignola gtr, just killing it, ala whacked em', classic, smack talk, the whole bit,

[@vladimirlavrov3553]

No Comment!

[@PolaOpposite]

Apparently the guitar GB had could not be tuned up.

[@jazzster123]

what already? it was tuned at the factory.

[@whiteplayon]

Apparently you missed all of the music GB played...Don't ever go to a Rolling Stones concert if tuning is your issue

[@PolaOpposite]

​@@whiteplayon Apparently you're GB's mommy. Fuck the Stones.

[@bruceleroy9409]

BUT...the organ player played deliciously..!!

[@grantgre]

GB waa not playing an intune Box.

[@guitarman6742]

And still sounds great!

[@johntechwriter]

I go all the way back, an A100 player myself, and this performance confirms my feeling that Joey should leave the 12-bar to Jimmy. Don’t get me wrong - I’m a huge fan of Joey DeFrancesco and I love how he takes that big Hammond out of the jazz world sometimes and into the lush stylings of Earl Grant and even to Gospel. The B3 is many things to many people and a half-century after going out of production remains the greatest electrified keyboard instrument of all time. Better than anyone I’ve seen yet, Joey expresses the instrument’s different natures and is able to adjust his playing style accordingly. That said, when it comes to a swingin’ 12-bar like this number, Joey makes the same mistake as everybody else who tries to “out-Jimmy” the master. The result, predictably, is an avalanche of arpeggios, a google of glissandos, and a swarm of syncopated riffs played over and over (and over and over) until I’m ready to raise the white flag. This playing style commits the ultimate artistic sin: It calls attention to itself. It says, “Look at me!” when it should be moving you emotionally. Jimmy Smith, not just the master but the goddamn INVENTOR of the B3 12-bar style, was to organists like me what Buddy Rich was to drummers of his time: a master craftsman of his instrument who, to the cognoscenti, drew more admiration for his simple (but pristine) accompaniments than for his flash solos. In like manner, when Jimmy embarked on a solo he took his audience with hm on an adventure from somewhere to somewhere else. He’d begin, conventionally, with the theme, then come up with variations, subtle and simple. As one chorus was built on top of its predecessor, Jimmy would improvise on the theme with ever-greater intensity and his phrasing was so clear, meticulous, and subtle that the audience would understand where he was taking them and enthusiastically go along for the ride. The end of Jimmy’s solos was cathartic - not, as was usually the case with his wanna-bes, anticlimactic. His audience would have been transported to an emotional high, and then brought in for a gentle landing with a return to the original theme, the equivalent of that afterglow cigarette we all so fondly remember from our youth. Jimmy Smith was able to do what 12-bar was intended to do: not to impress but to move the listener. The art lies in concealing the art. Jimmy’s technique was so close to perfection, it virtually disappeared. The notes were subsumed into the music. And therein lies the magical power of a true artist, the ability to fashion something that makes everything else make sense. As a postscript, just in case I haven’t pissed enough people off, I’d have loved to hear what the late Lenny Breau would have done with that guitar solo. The only thing I’d venture to guess is, it would have been something completely unexpected.

[@webstercat]

Anyone who can’t understand your perspective is not comprehending. Well written you know what you’re talking about.

[@raymitchell7013]

Excellent points..all very true and very well made..Ray

[@stephz5817]

Well that certainly puts things in perspective. Excellent writting, giving this seasoned musician much food for thought. Many thanks for washing my eyes and ears!

[@jimtakahashi4638]

Yes, some talents are simply irreplaceable ... it's the case with Wes and Jimmy.

[@nathanaeldavenport2251]

Interesting take. I think Joey would have agreed with you, except maybe the part about trying to "out-Jimmy" Jimmy. Joey adored him and held him up on a pedestal. So it doesn't seem like something Joey would ever attempt. I think Joey is just being Joey, and from what I understand he stopped trying to be Jimmy a long time before this. Everything - and I mean everything - you said about Jimmy's ability as a performer is exactly how I felt when I saw Joey take on the 12-bar blues. (Joey was my gateway to the organ, and I didn't know who Jimmy was until I found out who Joey was, so I'm biased towards my "first love," so to speak.) Seems a little harsh to narrow such a fundamental jazz form (the 12-bar) to one performer as the only legitimate pairing of the two, even if it is within the comparatively small world of jazz organ. It appears that the only original sin committed here by Joey, from what I can see in your writing, is that he isn't Jimmy. And again, Joey would be the first to agree with you on that. (And in Joey's defense... and Jimmy's... this is not Joey's best 12-bar solo by a long shot. I hear what you're saying about the repetition. It's a bit much, even for him.) No malice intended... I loved your thoughtful perspective, for what that's worth. Makes me want to listen to Jimmy even more.

[@rievans57]

drummer is in the pocket-

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

Is that a melody maker?

[@boreed5734]

Ron don't look happy in that corner he completely turns his back like George is crashing his party what's that about? Maybe Ron didn't expect this.

[@jazzed2b]

I clicked on this to watch Ron, NOT George

[@bruceleroy9409]

The organ player was way toooo loud and overshadowed even George Benson. Notice even the Bass player couldn't even get in on the groove! Cmon mannnn!!!!

[@rishardlampese8947]

Thats leader Joey DeFrancesco playing the bass on the organ - just so you know. lol

[@davidnazombe8589]

A great guitarist.You guys might slaughter me when I say e reminds me if Wes when he plays those octaves. I am out

[@bb-iq6qw]

Was George playing a Les Paul???🤷🏿‍♂️

[@arsofe]

Even when he's out of shape and he's technique Is sloppy, and is clearly uncomfortable with that guitar I think, just he's phrasing and groove makes him more brilliant than mr. Eschete, who is a master jazz player in his own right.

[@rauleduardosaucedo7317]

That little talk at the beginning

[@noholdorelse4827]

Anybody still want to fault Joey?

[@claudedietrich8654]

GB has to show off. Should be a bit more behind the scene when DeFrancesco plays.

[@BEARGUITARJAZZ]

Brisk