Dr. Lonnie Smith Nonet @ Jazz Standard 8/3/11

I just had to go.  It was phenomenal.  John Ellis and Logan Richardson were there.  I loved the trumpet.  I think the trombone was the musical director.  Dr. Lonnie Smith was so entertaining.  He has 2 drum pads on each side of the keyboard that has an African drum sound.  There was also a special guest percussionist that sat in from time to time.  He was in the audience when he wasn't playing, so I suspect he was a one night, perhaps one set, special guest.

I loved the experimentalish piece.  I think it was called Beehive.  I also loved the funk piece.  Actually, all of it was great.  We even got a little encore because we wanted more.

John Ellis – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet
Kyle Wilson – tenor saxophone
Logan Richardson – alto saxophone
Max Seigel – tuba, trombone
Corey King – trombone
Dr. Lonnie Smith – Hammond B-3 organ
Jonathan Kreisberg – guitar
Jamire Williams – drums

When Dr. Lonnie Smith led a blazing big band for some special New Year’s Eve appearances at Jazz Standard, Ben Ratliff of the New York Times said it “sounded superfine. What I heard operated on two settings: nasty funk and wine-dark ballads. That was enough…song after song, he dug a valley in the music and spread out…” Now the Doctor is IN with a brand–new nonet (or “little big band”) featuring top–shelf soloists like saxophonists John Ellis and Logan Richardson alongside Lonnie’s stalwart accompanists Jonathan Kreisberg (guitar) and Jamire Williams (drums).