A life filled with high notes

Maricopa resident Papa John DeFrancesco started his jazz career when he was 6.

His father was a well-known jazz musician who played the saxophone, and DeFrancesco decided to follow in his footsteps and learn to play the clarinet. That lasted for two weeks — until he heard Louis Armstrong play the trumpet and he fell in love.

“I went straight to trumpet,” DeFrancesco said.

Now, more than 65 years later, the jazz musician has nine CDs and another due out next year.

There have been a few changes along the way. When he was 22, his wife Laurene bought him an organ and he fell in love. Again.

“The rest is history,” Laurene said, laughing.

In November, the Papa John DeFrancesco Quartet performed at the Musical Instrument Museum  in Phoenix.

Ted Greenbaum, the MIM theater manager, said “(DeFrancesco) was basically the godfather of the Philadelphia Hammond organ jazz scene. … They’re seeing the birth of that with Papa.”

DeFrancesco has played with such jazz artists as Paul Anderson from the KJZZ jazz team, George Benson, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff and David “Fathead” Newman.

“I’ve had a lot of my CDs go to No. 1 in the jazz charts,” DeFrancesco said. “It feels like you did something right.”

Family has been a constant in DeFrancesco’s life and inspired his name “Papa John.” He gave up playing for a while so he could focus on his son Joey’s musical career, and it paid off. Joey also is a jazz organist who has played with Ray Charles, Bette Midler and dozens of others.

His other son, Johnny is a blues guitarist with three CDs who has played alongside his father, brother and other big names.

Johnny remembers the first time he played with his father. He was 8 or 9 and had just purchased his first guitar after his father’s urging.

“I really didn’t know how to play, but he showed me a few things,” Johnny said. “He was never ever negative, even when I could barely play. I’m sure I was horrible.”

Beyond their music, the two built hotrods and did remodeling projects on the family’s home together.

Johnny still enjoys playing with his father.