It's easy to take Everette DeVan for granted. The organist and bandleader gigs so regularly that his appearances tend not to get circled on calendars.
Yet every time the veteran of Kansas City's jazz scene takes a seat at his organ in front of a receptive audience, all is suddenly right with the world. Rather than reinventing the wheel, DeVan seems primarily interested in steering listeners in the direction of a good time.
The selections on the new 71-minute album For the Love of You are typical of the repertoire DeVan performs in Kansas City clubs. The recording includes readings of material by James Brown, the Isley Brothers, James Taylor and jazz standards.
For the Love of You features contributions from vibraphonist Greg Carroll, saxophonist Ian Corbett, guitarists Pat Kelley and Matt Hopper, percussionist Jay Rogers and drummer Danny Rojas.
People don't turn to DeVan for flashy playing or innovative concepts. Instead, DeVan's longtime fans know that his life-affirming grooves possess a curative quality.
The original lyric to the title track serves as an apt summation of DeVan's appeal: "Driftin on a memory, ain't no place I'd rather be than with you."
(Original image by Plastic Sax.)
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