Dr. Lonnie Smith - Breathe (2LP)

Dr. Lonnie Smith - Breathe

(2LP)

                 JazzTimes' The Top 40 Jazz Albums of 2021 - Rated 11/40

Breathe captures the Hammond B-3 organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith during his 75th birthday run at the Jazz Standard in NYC in 2017, the same week he recorded his acclaimed trio album All In My Mind. On this night the good doctor took the stage with an expanded lineup, featuring Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar, Johnathan Blake on drums, John Ellis on tenor saxophone, Jason Marshall on baritone saxophone, Sean Jones on trumpet, and Robin Eubanks on trombone. Two additional studio tracks that open and close the album present the unique collaboration between Doc and Iggy Pop, including a sublime cover of Donovan's 1966 hit "Sunshine Superman."

Few legacy artists are as capable at conjuring the urgency and youthful energy of their classic recordings as Smith has been since returning to Blue Note, and Breathe is no exception.

Dr. Lonnie Smith kept listeners on the edge of their seats - sometimes pulling off magic tricks at his shows. The now-departed Hammond B-3 master certainly wasn't a traditionalist, and Breathe, his final album, achieved new vistas. Yet it remained connected to past groove and boogaloo jaunts through 'Bright Eyes' and 'Pilgrimage,' sung by Alicia Olatuja. What no one predicted was his collaboration with baritone punk survivor Iggy Pop for covers of Timmy Thomas' 'Why Can't We Live Together' and Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman.'

-Chris J. Walker, JazzTimes, The Top 40 Jazz Albums of 2021 - Rated 11/40