"Dr Lonnie Smith is a phenomenal B3 burner who can light up a room with visceral intensity or lay down some of the nastiest funk ever played on an organ.”
JazzTimes
King of the 425-pound funk Beast – the Hammond B3 organ – ‘The Turbanator’ brings to the stage over five decades of self-schooled playing, more than 70 album appearances and an irrepressible energy that keeps him fresh and winning industry awards well into a new millennium.
Think of virtually any jazz star you care to mention and Dr Lonnie Smith has played with them – from George Benson to John Abercrombie, Ron Carter to Joe Lovano, and Dizzy Gillespie to Etta James.
Making the DownBeat Annual Critics Poll in 2009, ‘10 and ‘11, Smith’s enthused interpretation of an eclectic sampling of music types has contributed to his broad appeal over many years, as well as his position at the razor’s edge of cool. Having never learned to read music, he relies on instinct and a natural inclination for staying ‘in the moment’ to make new discoveries with an audience as witness.
For this long-awaited return to Australia, he is joined by long-term collaborators Jamire Williams and Jonathan Kreisberg in a series of up-close andpersonal gigs at Bennetts Lane. In true Smith style, no performance will be the same.
Expect a burn-up funk-infused odyssey into a deeper realm of jazz groove.
"Dr Lonnie Smith is a phenomenal B3 burner who can light up a room with visceral intensity or lay down some of the nastiest funk ever played on an organ.”
JazzTimes
King of the 425-pound funk Beast – the Hammond B3 organ – ‘The Turbanator’ brings to the stage over five decades of self-schooled playing, more than 70 album appearances and an irrepressible energy that keeps him fresh and winning industry awards well into a new millennium.
Think of virtually any jazz star you care to mention and Dr Lonnie Smith has played with them – from George Benson to John Abercrombie, Ron Carter to Joe Lovano, and Dizzy Gillespie to Etta James.
Making the DownBeat Annual Critics Poll in 2009, ‘10 and ‘11, Smith’s enthused interpretation of an eclectic sampling of music types has contributed to his broad appeal over many years, as well as his position at the razor’s edge of cool. Having never learned to read music, he relies on instinct and a natural inclination for staying ‘in the moment’ to make new discoveries with an audience as witness.
For this long-awaited return to Australia, he is joined by long-term collaborators Jamire Williams and Jonathan Kreisberg in a series of up-close andpersonal gigs at Bennetts Lane. In true Smith style, no performance will be the same.
Expect a burn-up funk-infused odyssey into a deeper realm of jazz groove.
Enter the minds of the world's greatest jazz masters. Don't miss these free sessions in which the Festival's headline artists discuss their technique, compositions, improvisations and inspirations.
