Last month Dr. Lonnie Smith released Rise Up!, continuing one of the best under-told stories in jazz today: this authentic legend of the Hammond B-3 organ has enjoyed a Joe Henderson-styled late-career resurgence during the ’00s.
I used to really love the stuff he did in the 1960s, especially those Blue Notes he did as a sideman for Lou Donaldson, and I got a pretty decent album of his from the ’90s that featured John Abercrombie. I also knew that somewhere down the line he’d added “Dr.” to his name and a turban on his head. More importantly, I knew that this cat was for real.
And still, I didn’t acquire his latest right away, although one of our readers – the knowledgeable and gentlemanly Bill from Buffalo – had strongly urged me to pick it up. It was still on my to-do list until I happened upon the latest jazz chart that placed Rise Up! right at the top. That finally prodded me to get it off the list and on my speakers, to see what the fuss is all about.
And you know what? Bill from Buffalo was spot on correct – and so is that chart. Rise Up! really is all that. It’s got some righteous sax from Donald Harrison, the beautifully soulful guitar of Peter Bernsteain, and most of all, the inspiring and incomparable organ of Smith.
One choice cut jumped out immediately, the old Stylistics hit “People Make the World Go Round.” Now, it’s no secret that I love this song: Hell, I’ve already told that to the whole world. I like it so much I even enjoyed a smooth jazz version I once heard. That’s real love, ladies and gents.
But the Good Doctor takes total possession of this tune, bear hugging the beautiful melody it with a loping, funky mid-tempo groove. He must know it’s a good groove, because it goes on for nearly 11 minutes (by far the longest track on Rise Up!) yet it doesn’t ever get boring. Harrison’s alto sax is wonderfully lyrical and coy, especially when he jousts a bit with Smith, while Bernstein’s guitar lines are thoughtful, warm and efficient.
But when Dr. Smith makes his testimony in an extended solo, he’s putting his bloody insides into it; you know it because the grunts and the vocalizing are audible. His old-school rumbles and skittering excursions across the keys are enough to scare off nearly the entire newer generation of organ players back to the piano.
They don’t make songs like “People Make the World Go Round” anymore, and they don’t play songs like that anymore, either. Scratch the second part, Dr. Lonnie Smith still does.
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