Dr. LONNIE SMITH - Too Damn Hot (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Hammond B-3 boss Dr. Lonnie Smith ends up on yet another new label with Too Damn Hot!, the follow-up to his thoroughly enjoyable -- if curious -- Boogaloo to Beck outing from 2003. This studio set places the organist in the company of two fine guitarists -- Peter Bernstein (lead) and Rodney Jones (rhythm), and alternating drummers Greg Hutchinson and Fukushi Tainaka. The two-guitar format is lovely in that it presents a wide array of colors and harmonic textures to the proceedings. The material is a compendium of new soul-jazz originals like the title track, which is a sultry slow burner with killer chorded solos by Smith, and "The Whip," a slippery funky hard bopper that recalls Johnny Patton's sessions with Grant Green. There are two covers present here as well, a fine version of Horace Silver's ballad "Silver Serenade" and a whimsical read of "Someday My Prince Will Come." The album's final cut, "Evil Turn," cooks like mad in stunning bop fashion. This is a keeper and Smith's best record of the decade so far.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1    Norleans    4:51
Dr. Lonnie Smith
2    Too Damn Hot    5:22
Dr. Lonnie Smith
3    Back Track    7:09
Dr. Lonnie Smith
4    The Whip    5:39
Dr. Lonnie Smith
5    Silver Serenade 5:58
Composed By – Horace Silver
6    Track 9    5:30
Dr. Lonnie Smith
7    One Cylinder    7:10
Dr. Lonnie Smith
8    Someday My Prince Will Come 7:32
Composed By – Churchill, Morey
9    Your Mama's Got A Complex    5:06
Dr. Lonnie Smith
10    Evil Turn    6:04
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Credits :
Drums – Fukushi Tainaka (faixas: 2, 4, 5, 8, 10), Gregy Hutchinson (faixas: 1, 3, 6, 7, 9)
Guitar – Peter Bernstein, Rodney Jones
Organ – Dr. Lonnie Smith
Producer, Recorded By – Matt Balitsaris

Dr. LONNIE SMITH - Jungle Soul (2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

When Lonnie Smith cut Boogaloo to Beck in 2003 he made a comeback, though he was never gone in the first place. That record's deeply grooving, funky soul-jazz cut to the chase in a way many jazz organ records hadn't by taking the Blue Note aesthetic of turning the pop tunes of the day -- even those as esoteric as Beck Hansen's -- and turning them into vehicles for jazz improvisation. On Jungle Soul, the great organist and his quartet -- Peter Bernstein on guitar, drummer and percussionist Allison Miller, and rhythm guitarist/producer Matt Balitsaris -- tackle some jazz standards -- "Bemsha Swing," "Willow Weep for Me," and Eddie Harris' bona fide soul-jazz classic "Freedom Jazz Dancer" -- and place them against Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man," and a handful of Smith originals and come up with a stunner. As the band digs deep into funky twists and turns on the Gaye number, they come out all sleek and smoky on "Simone," carrying the cut in a minor groove. The title cut is a Smith tune that swaggers from East to West with an African folk melody held inside a shimmering soul context. The layered percussion in the band's read of Harris' classic keeps the edges and angles of the original, while lending a finger-popping, booty-shaking strut to its backbeat. The interplay between Bernstein and Smith is taut, and full of playful asides. The strange modal guitar part Bernstein plays on "Bemsha Swing" is in stark contrast to Smith's for the note head, but it gives the entire track a late-night quality that's a bit more contemplative and moody than Monk's signature version. But it works beautifully. In sum, Jungle Soul is among the finer post-1970 records that Smith has cut, and this band is one of those intuitive, tight, and instinctive quartet's that understands their leader's every move.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Trouble Man 5:06
Marvin Gaye
2     Simone 6:45
3     Jungle Soul 6:23
4     Willow Weep for Me 7:44
5     Freedom Jazz Dance 6:09
Eddie Harris
6     Blue Moment 8:39
7     Witch Doctor 9:55
Lonny Gasperini
8     Bemsha Swing 6:22
9     Zimbabwe 6:11
10     Jungle Wisdom 4:32
Credits :
Drums – Allison Miller
Guitar – Matt Balitsaris (faixas: 9,10), Peter Bernstein
Organ – Dr. Lonnie Smith

Dr. LONNIE SMITH - Rise Up! (2009) Mp3

Who says you have to slow down as you get older? The honorable B-3 master, Dr. Lonnie Smith, has been on a renaissance tear since the beginning of the 21st century. Rise Up! is the fifth new recording since 2000, and there have been a number of reissues of his older work to boot. Given that some artists issue a record a year, this may not seem like such a terrific feat -- but appearances are deceiving. Smith recorded only 13 albums between 1966 and 1996, so five in nine years is actually prolific. It's not only the quantity, however, it's the consistency of the quality of the records Smith has been releasing that is outstanding, and Rise Up! is no exception.
Ever since 2000's Turbanator and 2003's Boogaloo to Beck: A Tribute, Smith has packed his records with covers and originals that accent the "soul" in the deep, wide tradition of soul-jazz. Sure, he's funky, he's got chops, grooves, and tricks, and he's surrounded himself with compelling musicians from Jimmy Ponder to David "Fathead" Newman to great effect. Since 2003 he's been working with guitarist and producer Matt Balitsaris and the results have been, and remain, electrifying. This set, with guitarist Peter Bernstein, saxophonist Donald Harrison, and drummer Herlin Riley -- with extra help on a couple of cuts from Balitsaris and percussionist James Shipp -- is one of his most realized, funky, and resonant dates yet. The set jumps off with Smith's original "Matterapat,"showcasing the smoking Latin percussion of Shipp and taut, off-kilter breaks from Riley, the front line is all knotty soul and blues. The theme is greasy and in the pocket; Harrison's solo moves effortlessly from post-bop to soul. The cover of the Beatles' "Come Together" that follows is even nastier, with Smith's below-the-basement vocal growl on the first verse all but indecipherable except as a snarling rap. It's another instrument in this band's arsenal. This is a slow bump and funky grind with a big payoff. "Pilgrimage" begins as a ballad but quickly asserts itself as a cooker thanks to Riley playing counterpoint breaks to Smith's B-3. Other covers that appear -- and are reinvented in Smith's musical vocabulary -- are the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams," which commences, seemingly, as an astral afterthought but finds a deep percussive bottom end and a spooky articulation of the melody that is all rhythm based. One can guarantee that the version of "People Make the World Go 'Round" found here is unlike any other that exists. It's the longest cut on the set and builds itself right from a lithe, breezy funk groove with a poppin' set of rimshot breakbeats from Riley. Harrison is the perfect foil for Smith because of his lyric sensibility; it is the perfect counter to the percussive groove quotient of Smith. The solos here are wonderfully complex and sophisticated and the use of harmonic extension in the ensemble's reading is pure magic. The set ends on an atmospheric blues tip with Smith's "Voodoo Doll," where Harrison's alto plays it straight out of the noir-ish dark and into the shadows where traces of light emerge. Smith's comping and eventually structural form for the tune transforms it into a swirling, shimmering heat with Bernstein's guitar erecting a pulsing bridge for Riley. It's a killer way to end a record. For B-3 fans, Rise Up! is nothing but solid in terms of tunes, arrangements, and heat.
Who says you have to slow down as you get older? The honorable B-3 master, Dr. Lonnie Smith, has been on a renaissance tear since the beginning of the 21st century. Rise Up! is the fifth new recording since 2000, and there have been a number of reissues of his older work to boot. Given that some artists issue a record a year, this may not seem like such a terrific feat -- but appearances are deceiving. Smith recorded only 13 albums between 1966 and 1996, so five in nine years is actually prolific. It's not only the quantity, however, it's the consistency of the quality of the records Smith has been releasing that is outstanding, and Rise Up! is no exception.
Ever since 2000's Turbanator and 2003's Boogaloo to Beck: A Tribute, Smith has packed his records with covers and originals that accent the "soul" in the deep, wide tradition of soul-jazz. Sure, he's funky, he's got chops, grooves, and tricks, and he's surrounded himself with compelling musicians from Jimmy Ponder to David "Fathead" Newman to great effect. Since 2003 he's been working with guitarist and producer Matt Balitsaris and the results have been, and remain, electrifying. This set, with guitarist Peter Bernstein, saxophonist Donald Harrison, and drummer Herlin Riley -- with extra help on a couple of cuts from Balitsaris and percussionist James Shipp -- is one of his most realized, funky, and resonant dates yet. The set jumps off with Smith's original "Matterapat,"showcasing the smoking Latin percussion of Shipp and taut, off-kilter breaks from Riley, the front line is all knotty soul and blues. The theme is greasy and in the pocket; Harrison's solo moves effortlessly from post-bop to soul. The cover of the Beatles' "Come Together" that follows is even nastier, with Smith's below-the-basement vocal growl on the first verse all but indecipherable except as a snarling rap. It's another instrument in this band's arsenal. This is a slow bump and funky grind with a big payoff. "Pilgrimage" begins as a ballad but quickly asserts itself as a cooker thanks to Riley playing counterpoint breaks to Smith's B-3. Other covers that appear -- and are reinvented in Smith's musical vocabulary -- are the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams," which commences, seemingly, as an astral afterthought but finds a deep percussive bottom end and a spooky articulation of the melody that is all rhythm based. One can guarantee that the version of "People Make the World Go 'Round" found here is unlike any other that exists. It's the longest cut on the set and builds itself right from a lithe, breezy funk groove with a poppin' set of rimshot breakbeats from Riley. Harrison is the perfect foil for Smith because of his lyric sensibility; it is the perfect counter to the percussive groove quotient of Smith. The solos here are wonderfully complex and sophisticated and the use of harmonic extension in the ensemble's reading is pure magic. The set ends on an atmospheric blues tip with Smith's "Voodoo Doll," where Harrison's alto plays it straight out of the noir-ish dark and into the shadows where traces of light emerge. Smith's comping and eventually structural form for the tune transforms it into a swirling, shimmering heat with Bernstein's guitar erecting a pulsing bridge for Riley. It's a killer way to end a record. For B-3 fans, Rise Up! is nothing but solid in terms of tunes, arrangements, and heat.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     A Matterapat 6:46
Dr. Lonnie Smith
2     Come Together 5:07
John Lennon / Paul McCartney
3     Pilgrimage 6:49
Dr. Lonnie Smith
4     Dapper Dan 7:21
Dr. Lonnie Smith
5     And the World Weeps 7:39
Dr. Lonnie Smith
6     People Make the World Go Round 10:42
Thom Bell / Linda Epstein
7     Tyrone 6:15
Young
8     Sweet Dreams 6:47
Annie Lennox / Dave Stewart
9     Voodoo Dolls 4:42
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Credits :
Drums – Allison Miller
Guitar – Matt Balitsaris (faixas: 9,10), Peter Bernstein
Organ – Dr. Lonnie Smith

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