Description
Lonnie Smith – Live at Club Mozambique – 180 Gram Double Vinyl Record
Live at Club Mozambique captures Lonnie Smith’s band in Detroit in May 1970, only months after the organist recorded Drives for Blue Note. The lineup features George Benson on guitar, Dave Hubbard on tenor saxophone, Ronnie Cuber on baritone saxophone, and Joe Dukes on drums. Although the tapes remained unreleased until 1995, the performance preserves the heat and extended development of a working soul-jazz group in front of a club audience.
“I Can’t Stand It” opens with a deep organ groove and immediate ensemble momentum. Smith controls bass, harmony, and lead lines from the Hammond while Dukes keeps the beat heavy but flexible. “Expressions” provides a second first-side workout, with Benson’s clean articulation cutting through the organ and the two saxophones creating a thick, earthy front line.
“Scream” and “Play It Back” fill the second side, giving the band room to build through repetition rather than short studio arrangements. Cuber’s baritone carries unusual agility, Hubbard’s tenor adds a brighter edge, and Benson moves between rhythmic support and sharply focused solos. Smith’s organ swells can fill the room, but he also knows when to reduce the texture to a clipped riff.
“Love Bowl” and “Peace of Mind” continue the set across the third side. The final record pairs Sly and the Family Stone’s “I Want to Thank You” with Miles Davis’s “Seven Steps to Heaven.” Those choices show the group’s range: contemporary funk could enter the repertoire alongside a modern jazz standard, both transformed by the same organ-driven ensemble language.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series edition presents all eight performances across two 180-gram records. Kevin Gray mastered it all-analog from the original tapes, and the set was pressed at Optimal. UPC 602508229329 identifies this 2LP configuration, preserving the long club performances without shortening them for a single disc.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Record Details
Artist: Lonnie Smith
Title: Live at Club Mozambique
Format: 180 Gram Double Vinyl Record
Label: Blue Note Records
Release year: 1970
UPC: 602508229329
Track Listing
A1. I Can’t Stand It
A2. Expressions
B1. Scream
B2. Play It Back
C1. Love Bowl
C2. Peace of Mind
D1. I Want to Thank You
D2. Seven Steps to Heaven
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