Dr. LONNIE SMITH - Evolution (2016) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Since Hammond B-3 specialist Lonnie Smith left Blue Note in the '70s, the largely self-taught musician has added the "Dr." to his name, adopted a traditional Sikh turban as a distinctive, if enigmatic style choice (it's unclear if he follows the religion), and continued to release a steady stream of highly regarded soulful well before the 21st century came around. With 2016's Evolution, Smith returns to Blue Note, his first studio album for the label since 1970's Drives. Produced by Don Was, Evolution is one of the most robust albums of his career. Where his previous few albums found him working in a trio format, on Evolution, Was surrounds Smith with various small group configurations featuring a bevy of post-bop, funk, and soul-ready musicians including drummers Jonathan Blake and Joe Dyson, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, trumpeters Keyon Harrold and Maurice Brown, and others. Also joining Smith here are several jazz luminaries including genre-bending pianist Robert Glasper, whose glassy piano tone rubs nicely against Smith's burnished Hammond warmth on "Play It Back." Similarly, saxophonist Joe Lovano, who first made his debut on Smith's 1975 effort Afrodesia, joins in on several cuts, including a reworking of "Afrodesia" and the slow-jam ballad "For Heaven's Sake." While Smith is the star of Evolution, the expanding group sound works well with his expansive approach to funk-jazz and the cuts with Harrold and Brown bring to mind the energetic hip-hop-inflected jazz of the Roots. Ultimately, it's Smith's juicy, nuanced, Hammond B-3 sound, deepened by over 50 years of experience, that makes Evolution such a career pinnacle. by Matt Collar  
Tracklist :
1     Play It Back 14:05
Dr. Lonnie Smith
2     Afrodesia 8:20
Dr. Lonnie Smith
3     For Heaven’s Sake 5:52
Dr. Lonnie Smith
4     Straight No Chaser 6:43
Thelonious Monk
5     Talk About This 7:20
Dr. Lonnie Smith
6     My Favorite Things 11:10
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
7     African Suite 9:52
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Credits :
Bass Clarinet – John Ellis (faixas: 3)
Drums – Joe Dyson (faixas: 1 to 3, 5, 7), Jonathan Blake
Flute – John Ellis (faixas: 7)
Guitar – Jonathan Kreisberg
Organ [Hammond B3 Organ], Keyboards – Dr. Lonnie Smith
Piano – Robert Glasper (faixas: 1)
Soprano Saxophone ["G" Mezzo Soprano Saxophone] – Joe Lovano (faixas: 2)
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Lovano (faixas: 3), John Ellis (faixas: 1, 2, 5)
Trumpet – Keyon Harold (faixas: 1), Maurice Brown (faixas: 2, 5)

Dr. LONNIE SMITH - Spiral (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dr. Lonnie Smith shows no signs of slowing down. Spiral is is his fifth studio album since 2003, and his fourth for Palmetto. Produced by Matt Balitsaris, Smith's trio includes guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jamire Williams. The program is a solid set of jazz nuggets, an original, and a couple of ballad standards. Things lead off with Jimmy Smith's "Mellow Mood," which is relaxed but hardly what the title suggests. Smith is in prime soul-jazz mode here, paying tribute to his mentor by swinging hard on the melody. Another nice touch is the reading of Slide Hampton's "Frame for the Blues," a smoky, nocturnal slow burner that features a fine solo by Kreisberg. Smith's fire is reserved for Harold Mabern's stomping "Beehive," where the band not only plays full-bore, but executes the knotty harmonic and tempo changes flawlessly, making the tune feel more like a crackling rock jam than just a jazz tune -- it'd be great to hear Smith's band perform this tune with Phish. Kreisberg's solo, which sounds a bit like steel drums, is the most mind-boggling thing on the record. More familiar material, such as "Sweet & Lovely" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," is handled with all the slippery swing that soul-jazz affords standards, and the trio is seamless -- check Williams' drumming on the former tune where he slips in breaks and off-meter fills while staying firmly in the pocket -- and deft in both surprise and depth. Spiral puts the full range of Smith's powers as an interpreter and improviser on display. This grooving trio makes it all sound easy, though nothing could be further from the truth.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1    Mellow Mood    5:13
2    I've Never Been In Love Before    5:11
3    Frame For The Blues    8:53
4    I Didn't Know What Time It Was    7:49
5    Sweet And Lovely    5:57
6    Spiral    5:55
7    Beehive    6:41
8    Sukiyaki    3:40
Credits :
Drums – Jamire Williams
Guitar – Jonathan Kreisberg
Organ – Dr. Lonnie Smith