Dr Lonnie Smith Trio (USA)

June 7 & 8 (2 shows a night) at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club

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.

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 and personal 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.