Dr. Lonnie Smith releases Breathe
The latest record features performances from Iggy Pop, Alicia Olatuja and is produced by the legendary Don Was
Last updated 26th Mar 2021
Legendary Hammond B-3 organist Dr. Lonnie Smith has released Breathe, his third album since his return to Blue Note Records, the label where he first became established in the late-1960s. Produced by Don Was, Breathe is a dynamic eight-song set, six tracks of which were recorded during Smith’s 75th birthday celebration at the Jazz Standard in New York City in 2017.
The album captures the NEA Jazz Master with his steady trio of guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Johnathan Blake, as well as an expanded septet featuring John Ellis on tenor saxophone, Jason Marshall on baritone saxophone, Sean Jones on trumpet, and Robin Eubanks on trombone, plus guest vocalist Alicia Olatuja. Notably, the album is bookended by two captivating studio collaborations with rock icon and broadcaster Iggy Pop.
Breathe is a companion to Smith’s 2018 trio album All In My Mind, which was recorded during the same celebratory week at the Jazz Standard
The 2016 album Evolution marked Smith’s Blue Note homecoming nearly 50 years after the organist made his first date for the label as a sideman on alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson’s 1967 classic Alligator Boogaloo.
Dr. Lonnie Smith first made his mark with guitarist George Benson**** in the mid-1960s, having played previously with Grover Washington. Jr.
From 1968-1970 Smith recorded his own run of five soul-jazz classics from his Blue Note debut Think! through to Live at Club Mozambique.
Smith has recorded over thirty albums as a leader throughout his singular career, but his favourite setting to document his creativity is live. “It’s so hard to capture what I’m feeling at the moment in the studio,” he says. “Hearing me live is catching me playing in the moment. It’s a good vibe. It’s a loving situation.”
“Blue Note is like family,” Smith says. “It’s like I never left. Everybody is great to work with. They give me the opportunity to play my life, to tell my story.”
When is Dr. Lonnie Smith's Breathe released?
Dr. Lonnie Smith's Breathe was released on March the 26th 2021 via Blue Note Records.