DR. LONNIE SMITH — Breathe (2021) SHM-CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Veteran Hammond B-3 master Dr. Lonnie Smith pairs with punk icon Iggy Pop on his inspired and deeply funky 2021 album Breathe. Smith initially came into his own in the 1960s, releasing a string of groove-based albums for Blue Note, including 1968's Think!, that helped define the sound of forward-thinking organ jazz. Over 30 years after his last album for Blue Note, he returned to the label with 2016's vibrant Evolution and 2018's All in My Mind; albums that found him recapturing the earthy energy of his original recordings. Continuing this latter-career resurgence, Breathe again finds him working with producer Don Was, and backed by an energetic ensemble of all-stars including guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Johnathan Blake, who make up his core trio. He also expands the group to a septet on several tracks, bringing trumpeter Sean Jones, tenor saxophonist John Ellis, baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall, and trombonist Robin Eubanks on board. Smith's work with Pop bookends that album as they offer a smoky, Doors-esque rendition of Timmy Thomas' 1972 soul anthem "Why Can't We Live Together" and a relaxed, boogaloo-style work-up of Donovan's '60s classic "Sunshine Superman." Both of these songs were recorded in studio and feature added percussion from Richard Bravo. They are wry, ebullient recordings that make a surprising case for Pop as a jazz crooner. The core of the album finds Smith leading his band through a series of energetic performances captured live at The Jazz Standard in New York City. Among these are several inspired Smith originals including "Bright Eyes," a breezy 3/4 anthem that brings to mind his '60s work. Equally engaging are the slow-grooving "Track 9," which spotlights a fiery solo from trumpeter Jones, and the gospel-inflected "Pilgrimage," featuring vocalist Alicia Olatuja. Smith also jumps into a bug-like take on Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy" that evokes the spacy sound of Herbie Hancock's 1973 Sextant album. Few legacy artists are as capable at conjuring the urgency and youthful energy of their classic recordings as Smith has been since returning to Blue Note, and Breathe is no exception. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1.    Why Can't We Live Together  7:44
Vocals – Iggy Pop
Written-By – Timmy Thomas
2.    Bright Eyes (Live)  7:25
Written-By – Dr. Lonnie Smith
3.    Too Damn Hot (Live)  7:33
Written-By – Dr. Lonnie Smith
4.    Track 9 (Live)  9:43
Written-By – Dr. Lonnie Smith
5.    World Weeps (Live)  12:04
Written-By – Dr. Lonnie Smith
6.    Pilgrimage (Live)  8:19
Lyrics By – Lynne Meryl Konenigsberg
Written-By – Dr. Lonnie Smith
7.    Epistrophy (Live)  4:22
Written-By – Kenny Clark, Thelonious Monk
8.    Sunshine Superman  6:37
Vocals – Iggy Pop
Written-By – Donnovan
Credits :
Baritone Saxophone – Jason Marshall (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6)
Drums – Johnathan Blake
Guitar – Jonathan Kreisberg
Organ – Dr. Lonnie Smith
Percussion – Richard Bravo (tracks: 1, 8)
Tenor Saxophone – John Ellis (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6)
Trombone – Robin Eubanks (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6)
Trumpet – Sean Jones (tracks: 2, 3, 4, 6)
Vocals – Alicia Olatuja (tracks: 6), Iggy Pop (tracks: 1, 8)

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. 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 (Jimmy Smith)  5:13
2.    I've Never Been In Love Before (Frank Loesser) 5:11
3.    Frame For The Blues  (Slide Hampton)  8:53
4.    I Didn't Know What Time It Was  (Hart, Rodgers) 7:49
5.    Sweet And Lovely (Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules Lemare) 5:57
6.    Spiral  (Dr. Lonnie Smith)  5:55
7.    Beehive  (Harold Mabern)  6:41
8.    Sukiyaki (Dr. Lonnie Smith)   3:40
Credits :
Drums – Jamire Williams
Guitar – Jonathan Kreisberg
Organ – Dr. Lonnie Smith