Jazz
Dr. Lonnie Smith - Organ, Vocals
Clifford Mack - Tambourine
Dave Hubbard - Sax (Tenor)
Gary Jones - Conga
George Benson - Guitar
Joe Dukes - Drums
Ronnie Cuber - Sax (Baritone)
* Bob Belden - , Liner Notes, Release Production
* Francis Wolff - Photography, Producer
* Larry Walsh - Remixing
* Michael Cuscuna - Series Producer
* Patrick Roques - Art Direction, Design
* Tom Evered - Series Producer
Recorded on May 21, 1970, at Detroit's Club Mozambique, this was shelved and remained unreleased until it was retrieved for CD issue in 1995. It's odd that Blue Note decided to sit on it for so long, because it ranks as one of Lonnie's better sets. The band, featuring George Benson on guitar, is relaxed and funky without being in your face about it, and unlike much soul-jazz of the time, most of the material is original, Smith having penned six of the eight numbers. Although the riffs often owe a lot to James Brown, this is definitely at least as much jazz as soul, with Lonnie taking a rare vocal turn on "Peace of Mind."
---Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Active Decades: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Ballads, Crossover Jazz, Fusion, Hard Bop, Jazz Blues, Jazz-Funk, Post-Bop, Soul-Jazz
Organist Lonnie Smith has often been confused with keyboardist/pianist Lonnie Liston Smith -- and, in fact, more than a few retailers have wrongly assumed that they're one and the same. In the mid-'60s, the Hammond hero earned recognition for his membership in George Benson's classic quartet before going on to play with Lou Donaldson (contributing some memorable solos to the alto saxman's hit 1967 album Alligator Bogaloo) and recording enjoyable dates of his own for Blue Note. For all their accessibility and commercial appeal, funk-influenced Smith sessions like 1968's Think and 1970's Drives showed that he could be quite imaginative. Smith, who later became Dr. Lonnie Smith (for "no particular reason", the same reason he gives for why he always wears a turban), remained an inspired representative of soul-jazz and did some solid work with Donaldson in the '90s.
---Alex Henderson, All Music Guide |
