Lonnie Smith (born July 3, 1942), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, is an American jazz Hammond B3 organist.
Video Lonnie Smith (jazz musician)
Early life
He was born in Lackawanna, New York, into a family with a vocal group and radio program. Smith says that his mother was a major influence on him musically, as she introduced him to gospel, classical, and jazz music. He was part of several vocal ensembles in the 1950s, including the Teen Kings which included Grover Washington Jr., on sax and his brother Daryl on drums. Art Kubera, the owner of a local music store, gave Smith his first organ, a Hammond B3.
Maps Lonnie Smith (jazz musician)
George Benson Quartet
Smith's affinity for R&B melded with his own personal style as he became active in the local music scene. He moved to New York City, where he met George Benson, the guitarist for Jack McDuff's band. Benson and Smith connected on a personal level, and the two formed the George Benson Quartet, featuring Lonnie Smith, in 1966.
Solo career; Finger Lickin' Good
After two albums under Benson's leadership, It's Uptown and Cookbook, Smith recorded his first solo album (Finger Lickin' Good Soul Organ) in 1967, with George Benson and Melvin Sparks on guitar, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and Marion Booker on drums. This combination remained stable for the next five years.
After recording several albums with Benson, Smith became a solo recording artist and has since recorded over 30 albums under his own name. Numerous prominent jazz artists have joined Smith on his albums and in his live performances, including Lee Morgan, David "Fathead" Newman, King Curtis, Terry Bradds, Blue Mitchell, Joey DeFrancesco and Joe Lovano.
Blue Note Records
In 1967, Smith met Lou Donaldson, who put him in contact with Blue Note Records. Donaldson asked the quartet to record an album for Blue Note, Alligator Bogaloo. Blue Note signed Smith for the next four albums, all in the soul jazz style, including Think (with Lee Morgan, David Newman, Melvin Sparks and Marion Booker) and Turning Point (with Lee Morgan, Bennie Maupin, Melvin Sparks and Idris Muhammad).
Smith's next album Move Your Hand was recorded at the Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in August 1969. The album's reception allowed his reputation to grow beyond the Northeast. He recorded another studio album, Drives, and another live album unreleased at the time, Live at Club Mozambique (recorded in Detroit on May 21, 1970), before leaving Blue Note.
Dr. Smith became a part of the Blue Note family once again in March 2015. He released his first Blue Note album in 45 years titled Evolution which was released January 29, 2016 featuring special guests: Robert Glasper and Joe Lovano. His second Blue Note album All in My Mind was recorded live at "The Jazz Standard" in NYC (celebrating his 75th birthday with his longtime musical associates: guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Johnathan Blake), and released January 12, 2018.
1970s tours
Smith toured the northeastern United States heavily during the 1970s. He concentrated largely on smaller neighborhood venues during this period. His sidemen included Donald Hahn on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber, Dave Hubbard, Bill Easley and George Adams on saxes, George Benson, Perry Hughes, Marc Silver and Larry McGee on guitars, and Joe Dukes, Sylvester Goshay, Phillip Terrell, Marion Booker, Jimmy Lovelace, Charles Crosby, Art Gore, Norman Connors and Bobby Durham on drums.
Performances
Smith has performed at several prominent jazz festivals with artists including Grover Washington Jr., Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Lou Donaldson, Ron Holloway, and Santana. He has also played with musicians outside of jazz, such as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Etta James, and Esther Phillips.
Accolades
He was named the "Organ Keyboardist of the Year" in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014 by the Jazz Journalist Association. Recipient of the 2017 NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Masters Fellowship, the highest honor that the U.S. bestows on jazz artists. Selected as a living legend making exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz.
Personal life
Lovingly referred to as "Dr." by fellow musicians because he likes to "doctor" up the tunes with his unique improvisational stylings. He is known worldwide as an unparalleled musician, composer, performer and recording artist that truly loves and appreciates his loyal fans who look forward to his appearances.
Discography
As leader
- 1967: Finger Lickin' Good Soul Organ (Columbia)
- 1968: Think! (Blue Note)
- 1969: Turning Point (Blue Note)
- 1969: Move Your Hand [live] (Blue Note)
- 1970: Drives (Blue Note)
- 1970: Live At Club Mozambique (Blue Note) [released 1995]
- 1971: Mama Wailer (Kudu/CTI)
- 1975: Afro-Desia (Groove Merchant)
- 1976: Keep On Lovin' (Groove Merchant)
- 1977: Funk Reaction (LRC/Lester Radio Corporation)
- 1978: Gotcha (LRC/Lester Radio Corporation)
- 1980: When The Night Is Right! (Chiaroscuro)
- 1991: The Turbanator (32 Jazz) [released 2000] -with Jimmy Ponder
- 1993: Afro Blue: A Tribute To John Coltrane (MusicMasters)
- 1993: The Art Of Organizing (Criss Cross) [released 2009]
- 1994: Foxy Lady: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix (Pt. 1) (MusicMasters)
- 1995: Purple Haze: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix (Pt. 2) (MusicMasters)
- 2002: Boogaloo To Beck: A Tribute (Scufflin')
- 2004: Too Damn Hot! (Palmetto)
- 2006: Jungle Soul (Palmetto)
- 2008: Rise Up! (Palmetto)
- 2010: Spiral (Palmetto)
- 2012: The Healer [live] (Pilgrimage)
- 2013: In The Beginning, Vol. 1 & 2 (Pilgrimage) 2CD
- 2016: Evolution (Blue Note)
- 2018: All in My Mind [live] (Blue Note)
As sideman
With Eric Allison
- Mean Streets Beat (Contemporary, 1996)
- After Hours (Contemporary, 1997)
With George Benson
- It's Uptown (Columbia, 1966)
- The George Benson Cookbook (Columbia, 1967)
With Bobby Broom
- Modern Man (Delmark, 2001)
With Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
- The Bridge (Relaxed, 2002)
With Lou Donaldson
- Alligator Bogaloo (Blue Note, 1967)
- Mr. Shing-A-Ling (Blue Note, 1967)
- Midnight Creeper (Blue Note, 1968)
- Everything I Play Is Funky (Blue Note, 1970)
- Play the Right Thing (Milestone, 1990)
- Caracas (Milestone, 1993)
- Sentimental Journey (Columbia, 1995)
- Relaxing at Sea: Live on the QE2 (Chiaroscuro, 1999)
With Richie Hart
- Remembering Wes (Compose, 1989)
- Greasy Street (Zoho, 2005)
With Red Holloway
- Red Soul (Prestige, 1966)
- Coast To Coast (Milestone, 2003)
With Ron Holloway
- Struttin' (Milestone, 1995)
With Javon Jackson
- A Look Within (Blue Note, 1996)
- Easy Does It (Palmetto, 2002)
- Have You Heard (Palmetto, 2004)
- Now (Palmetto, 2006)
With Rodney Jones
- Soul Manifesto (Blue Note, 2001)
With Jimmy McGriff
- State Of The Art (Milestone, 1985)
- McGriff's House Party (Milestone, 1999)
With Jimmy Ponder
- So Many Stars (Milestone, 1985)
- Come On Down (Muse, 1990)
- To Reach A Dream (Muse, 1991)
With Alvin Queen
- Lenox And Seventh (Black & Blue, 1985) -with Melvin Sparks
With Akira Tana
- Secret Agent Men (Sons Of Sound, 1992)
With Chester 'CT' Thompson
- Mixology (Doodlin', 2012)
With The Harlem Art Ensemble (Bruno Carr, Jimmy Ponder, Lonnie Smith, Harold Ousley)
- Live in New York (Explore Records EXP0027, 1990 [rel. 2007])
References
External links
- Official website
- Dr. Lonnie Smith interview - 2008 on YouTube
- Lonnie Smith Illustrated Discography
- Dr. Lonnie Smith Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2012)
Source of article : Wikipedia
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