Tonight: Hammond Organ master Dr. Lonnie Smith to sit in with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon

Dr. Lonnie Smith is set to sit-in with The Roots on NBC The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight January 12 to celebrate the release of Evolution, his first album for Blue Note Records since 1970. The album, which comes out January 29, marks the return of the legendary Hammond B-3 organ master to the iconic jazz label where he first made a name for himself in the late 1960s, first as a sideman with saxophonist Lou Donaldson on albums including Alligator Bogaloo, and soon after as a leader with his own soul-jazz classics such as Think! and Turning Point. Evolution is available for pre-order now on CD or digital download. Fans who pre-order the download will immediately receive the single “Straight No Chaser,” which is also available today as a single on streaming services.

Smith will perform with his Evolution band at the 2016 NYC Winter Jazzfest on January 15, and has announced additional tour dates including a European tour in February-March followed by further U.S. touring in the spring including an April 6 show at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC. See below for a full list of confirmed tour dates.

Blue Note president Don Was signed Smith and produced Evolution, which is a robust and spirited collection of seven tunes, including fresh takes on Dr. Lonnie’s favorite originals and standards as well as brand-new excursions that he had never recorded before. Joining Smith are special guests Robert Glasper on piano and Joe Lovano on saxophones, as well as a top-notch band of musicians including reedist John Ellis, trumpeters Maurice Brown and Keyon Harrold, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, and the double drummer team of Joe Dyson and Johnathan Blake (appearing together on five of the seven numbers).

After releasing his debut album Finger Lickin’ Good for Columbia, Smith joined Lou Donaldson’s band and made his first Blue Note appearance on the saxophonist’s hit 1967 album Alligator Boogaloo. Two more Donaldson dates followed (Mr. Shing-A-Ling and Midnight Creeper) before Smith was offered his own Blue Note deal, making his label debut with Think! in 1968. Smith went on to record another four Blue Note albums over the next two years (Turning Point, Move Your Hand, Drives and Live at Club Mozambique) all of which are regarded as soul-jazz classics.

Smith helped celebrate Blue Note’s 75th anniversary in 2014 by appearing with Donaldson at the historic concert Blue Note at 75 at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Some of Smith’s early tracks for Blue Note are collected on the playlist Intro to Dr. Lonnie Smith including standout cuts like “Spinning Wheel,” which was famously sampled by A Tribe Called Quest for their songs “Can I Kick It?” and “Buggin’ Out.”

The track listing for Evolution is as follows:

1. Play It Back featuring Robert Glasper

2. Afrodesia featuring Joe Lovano

3. For Heaven’s Sake featuring Joe Lovano

4. Straight No Chaser

5. Talk About This

6. My Favorite Things

7. African Suite

DR. LONNIE SMITH – 2016 TOUR DATES

January 15: NYC Winter Jazzfest, New York, NY

February 23-24: Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

February 25-27: Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen, Denmark

February 28: LantarenVenster, Rotterdam, Netherlands

March 2: Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo, Norway

March 3: Spor 5, Stavanger, Norway

March 4: USF Verftet, Bergen, Norway

March 5: Dokkhuset Scene, Trondheim, Norway

March 6: Fasching Club, Stockholm, Sweden

March 8-12: Marian’s Jazz Room, Bern, Switzerland

March 24-27: Jazz Showcase, Chicago, IL

April 6: Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY

April 7: Scullers, Boston, MA

April 9: Annenberg Center, Philadelphia PA

May 8: Segerstrom Center, Costa Mesa, CA

June 28-July 3: Jazz Standard, New York, NY

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.