When organist Joey DeFrancesco was about 16, he and a couple of friends (including bassist Christian McBride) played music during commercial breaks for a local Philadelphia morning show that happened to be hosting Miles Davis. At one point, Davis asked who the organist was. DeFrancesco was petrified. Davis eventually invited DeFrancesco to join his band—while he was still in high school. After Jimmy Smith, DeFrancesco, who died in August 2022 at the age of 51, was arguably the most accomplished organist in jazz. He could play soul-adjacent post-bop (1999’s The Champ) and loose, spiritual jazz in the style of Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders (with whom he duetted on 2019’s In the Key of the Universe). He accompanied Van Morrison (The Prophet Speaks) and shared an album with Jimmy Smith himself (2000’s Incredible!). DeFrancesco’s style was always clear and accessible. And in his clarity and accessibility, he did something few modern jazz players could: made the music live for another generation.