SFJAZZ presents Dr. Lonnie Smith Octet
2014-06-16
Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA
7:30 PM, Monday, June 16, 2014

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[7:31 PM lights down, 7:32 PM announcements from Randall Kline]

1. [7:35 PM] ?
2. [7:43 PM] ? mirela umibica # (Maybe “Hola Muneca” from the new album?)
3. [7:58 PM] Track Nine $
4. [8:12 PM] Keep Talkin'
   [set ends 8:28 PM]

[8:48 PM lights down, 2nd ID go]

1. [8:49 PM] In the Beginning
2. [8:56 PM] Slow High
3. [9:05 PM] Turning Point #
4. [9:20 PM] Play it Back §
5. [9:49 PM] ?
   [show ends 9:55 PM, no encore]

• Jonathan Blake: drums;
• Ed Cherry: guitar;
• John Ellis: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet;
• Alan Ferber: trombone;
• Andy Gravish: trumpet;
• Munyungo Jackson: percussion;
• Jason Marshall: baritone saxophone;
• Dr. Lonnie Smith: Hammond B-3 organ, # electronic drums, $ SlapStick;
  - § with special guest -
• Andy Graham: SlapStick

Lonnie introduced Blake and Jackson as his grandson and son at the end of set one – true? half-true? Guess i need to research that and get back to ya. The band was definitely cookin' – I'm glad we came! Wish the volume was a little bit louder. Wish I had the guts to get up and dance! Looking forward to another set.

Second set cooked along even hotter than the first. Really glad that I scheduled this Monday night out. Late in the set Lonnie invited Andy Graham, inventor of the SlapStick up onstage to jam with the band. Despite both Andy and the house tech staff being unprepared for this, the jam came together after a minute or two. I was a bit surprised that the only technique Andy added over what Lonnie had already been doing was to add long bends by “fretting” the slapstick against Lonnie's Leslie cabinet and then sliding the contact point up or down to create a cool, moaning glissando effect. Nice the first few times, but a little trite when overdone. Lonnie also took a few minutes to pontificate in a rambling, discursive fashion about the need to keep kids in schools and how learning SlapStick was just the way to do it. Maybe! I applaud his motivation and positive spirit, even if I'm unconvinced that the approach will work out. I'd rather see kids playing music than sitting around on the door stoops, that's for sure.

Another observation to share is that Lonnie seemed to be moving about quite well, in contrast to the Dinkelspiel show last summer, where he seemed to be kind of stiff and unsteady at times. Glad to see him looking spry again!

Checked in with Jonathan Blake at the end of the show and he said the Doctor must have been messin' with us – neither he nor Munyungo are blood relatives to the chief. What a joker!

Finally, Jesse Hamlin posted a fine article at SFGate about the good doctah, go read it!

Think you might like to pick up his latest double-disc set, In the Beginning? Last I checked, Amazon had a bargain sale going on it!

Back to the previous event ☸ Back to the 2014 yearbox ☸ Back to the 2014 event list! ☸ On to the next event!