Gig Reviews

Dr Lonnie Smith is probably one of the greatest jazz Hammond organ player there has ever been. Lonnie grew up listening to gospel, jazz and classical music. As a teenager, local record store owner Art Kubera gave Lonnie his first organ, a Hammond B3, saying 'If you can move it out of the store, you can have it'. The B3 weighs around 400 pounds. Needless to say the young Lonnie managed the job and grew up to play with some of the most influential artists around. He has recorded with jazz greats like George Benson, Lou Donaldson, Dizzy Gillespie and Etta James as well as rceording his own solo output. He was dubbed 'Doctor' of jazz by his peers.

I have to admit, my knowledge of jazz is very limited. Anything more than Miles Davis' 'Out Of The Blue' album, I have found a bit too much to take. With this in mind, the experience of seeing one of the most challenging jazz organists in the world was a bit daunting.

The Sela Bar is a small, dimly lit basement venue, which holds roughly about 100 people. It hosts much of the cities more eclectic events and is perfect for intimate shows. The venue was almost full as I arrived. I was warned by one spectator that the show is very intense and I may leave with a permanent 'jazz twitch'. Another Lonnie Smith veteran said that I should get as close to the man as possible to fully appreciate the atmosphere.

Lonnie in the groove

Accompanied by two younger cohorts, guitar player Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jamire Williams, who looked thrilled to be playing with such a tour de force, 'The Doctor' sat down behind his instrument and almost became part of it. He looked so at home behind the organ and seemed to take on a completely different persona, almost growing a few inches.

His music, to a 'newbie' like my self, can be only described as spiritual jazz. He clearly takes elements of gospel, soul and even rock music and fuses them with more traditional jazz themes.

His set started out very quietly, barely audible. His small, precise touches of the keys were reflected in the wry smile on his face. His drummer and guitar player were also electric, with constant eye contact maintained between the three. It always amazes me, especially with such complex music, how musicians communicate with each other. Do they have some secret method that we mere mortals do not know about?

The atmosphere was electric, with the audience now successfully sucked into his world. As the music grew in pace, swelling to an almost spiritual level, Lonnie's expressions now changed to quite aggressive, sharp head movements. Every so often he let out small high pitched squeals, almost unable to contain his emotion. The sound of a Hammond organ is a warm, cosy sound. It has so much bass and depth that one can almost feel it. Lonnie Smith is a true master and legend, but at this particular show he allowed his budding protégés an opportunity to shine. Kreisberg in particular was dazzling, throwing his own special jazz face shapes.

The music then stopped abruptly as the bass peddle of the organ got stuck. "Hang on a second folks, this is really buggin' me" said Lonnie, clearly irritated. After a couple of minutes the problem had been fixed and he launched back into a particularly aggressive piece.

Dr Lonnie Smith & Corinne Bailey Rae

I felt somewhat exhausted at this point, they had been playing for over and hour and a half and I was glad of an interval. I managed to have a quick chat with one of the promoters: "‘I think Lonnie likes playing here, he played here last year and had such a good time. He loved the Leeds crowd and I guess that’s why he's come back this year."
Back on stage, Lonnie wowed the audience with a rendition of The Beatles 'Come Together' -  although it did take me a while to recognise it, I have to admit. It was a fantastic version though, and with the huge bass sounds of the B3, sounded more heavy metal than jazz in places.

Earlier on in the evening I had noticed that Corinne Bailey Rae had been amongst the audience, apparently she is quite the regular in the bar. Then, later on, she got up and sang with Lonnie - what a treat!

I enjoyed this show. I did leave with a slight 'jazz twitch', which is only just wearing off! I can appreciate jazz in a slightly different way, now. This kind of intense music must be seen live to be appreciated, preferably somewhere dark and dingy with lots of sweaty jazz fans. It was all about atmosphere, but I guess that's the point of this kind of jazz - it creates a vibe and thickness of atmosphere that is unlike anything I've experienced before.

Kate Prothero saw the Dr Lonnie Smith Trio @ The Sela Bar on Monday 27 July 2009.

All photos coutesy of Benedict Smith. Check out more of his live music photography here: