Twelve years ago, Ira Gitler introduced me to Dr. Lonnie Smith. We were sitting at New York's Jazz Standard listening to the live music during the Jazz Journalists Association awards annual gala. As the three of us sat there, I told Lonnie how much I dug his heavy groove albums from the 1960s and '70s—particularly Think! and Turning Point and Drives.
Each time I mentioned an album, Lonnie's eyebrows went up. Other than that, he was fairly quiet and borderline shy. Later, I asked Ira how a guy who stirred up so much heat on the Hammond B-3 could be so seeming meek. Ira said Lonnie was a mellow cat but when he climbed behind the keyboard, he became a monster. "He leaves it all on the keyboard," Ira said. [Photo above of Lonnie Smith courtesy of Lonnie Smith]
The Dr. part of Lonnie's name has nothing to do with MDs or PhD's. Lonnie is said to have adopted the honorific to differentiate himself from organist Lonnie Liston Smith. As for the turban, it gives him a mystical quality, though the authentic Sikh wrap seems to be more of an artistic statement than a mark of conversion. Either way, these are signatures of a creative force eager to stand out in a spiritual way. [Photo above of Lonnie Smith by Susan Stocker, courtesy of LonnieSmith.com]
Lonnie's current album, Breathe (Blue Note), features rocker Iggy Pop singing on two tracks, the first and last. Pop has much in common with Lonnie in terms of his stage-street persona. What's special about the new release is the diversity of grooves and the shifting moods throughout. The beauty of jazz legends like Lonnie is that they remain true to their original sound but constantly work to push their thing forward to the next level.
The Pop studio bookends on the album are Why Can't We Live Together, a hit for Timmy Thomas in 1973, and Donovan's Sunshine Superman. On these tracks, Lonnie and Pop are backed by guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, drummer Johnathan Blake and percussionist Richard Bravo. The remaining tracks in the middle are Lonnie's originals Bright Eyes, Too Damn Hot, Track 9, World Weeps and Pilgrimage. Also in the center is Thelonious Monk's Epistrophy. These non-Pop tracks were recorded live at at the Jazz Standard in 2017 during a celebration of Lonnie's 75th birthday. Horns added on the live tracks are tenor saxophonist John Ellis, baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall, trumpeter Sean Jones and trombonist Robin Eubanks. [Photo above of Iggy Pop and Lonnie Smith by Don Was, courtesy of Blue Note]
Breathe is a funky knockout. The originals are tasty organ adventures with perfectly arranged horns, resulting in a neat 1970s jazz sound. Pop's vocals on the covers are eerie but in sync with Lonnie's cooking. And each song is a different scene, working neatly to build an organ groove. [Album above released in 1976.
Ira would be pleased to know that Lonnie still leaves it all on the keyboard.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Dr. Lonnie Smith's Breathe (Blue Note) here.
JazzWax tracks: Here's Bright Eyes...
And here's Too Damn Hot...
For a mini-documentary on Lonnie, go here.
And if you want to know what makes Lonnie tick, if you really want to hear him turn a song you know into a knockout cooker, dig Who Can I turn To from Lenox and Seventh in Paris in 1985, with guitarist Melvin Sparks and drummer Alvin Queen here...