Dr. Lonnie Smith@The Jazz Bakery 04.02.08
By George W. Harris

Hammond B3 sultan Dr. Lonnie Smith cruised into town by supplementing
his regular hard working trio of drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith and
guitarist Peter Bernstein with the formidable uncle/nephew combination
of New Orleans altoist Donald Harrison and trumpeter Christian Scott.
The added horns added a Crescent Boogaloo groove to the festivities
that combined deep seated funk with impassioned bop. Dr. Smith's
patented visceral treatment of the airy B3, creating voluminous
crescents and valleys of notes, augmented by Smitty's articulate/Spike
Jones style drumming and Bernstein's bluesy chords served as a perfect
playing field for the lead horns. Harrison's signature languid and
slippery alto contrasted to perfection with the youthful Scott's crisp
and impassioned trumpet work, particularly on the bouncy "Bemsha Swing"
and "Tyrone". Smith's command of the keyboards is able to take a song like
”I’ve Never Been In Love Before” and evoke visceral images of roller skating rinks, Dodger Stadium or the local Baptist church with erudite delivery of sonic waves of glory.
Scott, a rising star on the jazz scene, chewed on the chords like a
ravenous lion, taking them in, and spitting them out of his horn like
shells from sunflower seeds. Uncle Don weaved his horn with sonoric
angles of abstraction, most effectively on the funky. Once again, the
good doctor was able to prescribe just the right medicine for the LA
blues.