Lonnie Smith Foxy Lady

The resurrection of Lonnie Smith continues with this exciting mini-survey of the Jimi Hendrix legacy. This time, the material allows Smith's crackling, tightly knit collaborators, John Abercrombie and Marvin "Smitty" Smith, to run a bit wild - indeed, Abercrombie's tone and attack takes on a Hendrix-like cast on the title track - while Lonnie mostly remains in the same cool soul-jazz frame of mind, an excellent foil. The most ambitious track, "Castles Made of Sand," takes on a military rhythm before breaking out into Smitty's everywhere-at-once drum patterns, cooking at a fine boil through its 23 1/2-minute length before breaking into a suitably chaotic rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" toward the end. On the latter, Abercrombie has a ball pouring on the sarcasm, and Lonnie bounces around the organ…

In the early '70s, Lonnie Smith's recordings frequently exhibited a debt to Jimi Hendrix's groundbreaking fusions, but he waited until 1994 to release Foxy Lady, a full-fledged tribute to the innovative guitarist. Foxy Lady was so successful that Smith decided to make another Hendrix album, again with John Abercrombie and Marvin "Smitty" Smith. Purple Haze is as entertaining as Foxy Lady - it's truly remarkable to hear how these blues-rockers can open up into soul-jazz numbers tinged with free jazz influences - and confirms not only Hendrix's composing talents, but also Smith's vision.

Lonnie Smith Trio - Foxy Lady - Tribute To Jimi Hendrix (1994) {2011 Japan MiniLP VHCD-78232}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 412 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 135 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 247 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1994, 2011 Venus Records Japan | VHCD-78232
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Jazz Blues / Soul Jazz / Hammond

This reissue features cardboard sleeve jacket (gatefold sleeve). Jimi Hendrix, taken to the territory of funky Hammond jazz – thanks to a trio that features Lonnie Smith on organ and John Abercrombie on guitar! Abercrombie's lines aren't nearly as freaky and fuzzy as Jimi's, but the groove here is a really nice change – one that almost digs into the inherently soulful elements of Hendrix's music, then turns it further into a vehicle for jazz-based exploration! Marvin Smitty Smith is in drums – and titles include "Third Stone From The Sun", "Foxy Lady", "Castles Made Of Sand/Star Spangled Banner", and "Jimi Meets Miles".

Lonnie Smith Trio - Purple Haze - Tribute to Jimi Hendrix (1994) {2011 Japan MiniLP VHCD-78233}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 397 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 135 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 236 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1994, 2011 Venus Records | VHCD-78233
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Jazz Blues / Soul Jazz / Hammond

This reissue features cardboard sleeve jacket (gatefold sleeve). In the early '70s, Lonnie Smith's recordings frequently exhibited a debt to Jimi Hendrix's groundbreaking fusions, but he waited until 1995 to release Foxy Lady, a full-fledged tribute to the innovative guitarist. Foxy Lady was so successful that Smith decided to make another Hendrix album, again with John Abercrombie and Marvin "Smitty" Smith. Purple Haze is as entertaining as Foxy Lady – it's truly remarkable to hear how these blues-rockers can open up into soul-jazz numbers tinged with free jazz influences – and confirms not only Hendrix's composing talents, but also Smith's vision.

Dr. Lonnie Smith Octet - In The Beginning, Volumes 1 & 2 (2013) {2CD Pilgrimage PCD002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 716 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 255 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 145 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Pilgrimage Productions | PCD002
Jazz / Organ Hammond B-3 / Soul Jazz

On IN THE BEGINNING, the second release on Pilgrimage Recording, his imprint label which he founded in 2012, Dr. Lonnie Smith revisits, recontextualizes, and reimagines a dozen songs culled from his first decade as a recording artist. The end product is a document as distinctive and accomplished as any within Smith’s iconic canon.