BST 84326

Lonnie Smith - Move Your Hand

Released - 1969

Recording and Session Information

"Club Harlem", Atlantic City, NJ, August 9, 1969
Rudy Jones, tenor sax; Ronnie Cuber, baritone sax; Lonnie Smith, organ, vocals; Larry McGee, guitar; Sylvester Goshay, drums.

4809 tk.2 Charlie Brown
4811 tk.5 Move Your Hand
4812 tk.6 Sunshine Superman
4814 tk.8 Layin' In The Cut

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Charlie Brown	Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller	August 9 1969
Layin' in the Cut	Lonnie Smith	August 9 1969
Side Two
Move Your Hand	Lonnie Smith	August 9 1969
Sunshine Superman	Donovan Leitch	August 9 1969

Liner Notes

In jazz, either you got it or you ain't. Judging by these sides, it is obvious that Lonnie Smith's got it.

Jazz is a complex, many sided affair. Today, you can find as many varieties of jazz as Heinz has soup. The question is: Which soup is the best? A few years back someone invented "soul jazz" and a lot of people actually thought here was something new. While "soul jazz" is as old as jazz itself the name pretty much fits the type of jazz I believe is the best. I feel that history supports me on this: there have been more reissues of "soul jazz" recordings than of any other kind of jazz.

Lonnie Smith has soul, plus fire, imagination and taste.

These sides were born on a warm Saturday night in the "soul center" of Atlantic City. People were jammed around the bar, glasses in hand, smiling. Friendly and animated, a good jazz audience — if you gave them what they wanted to hear. The music, I think, reflected the atmosphere that prevailed at "Club Harlem" that night.

The band was tight. There was a feeling of togetherness on that small bandstand. From the first note on, everything fell into place. Whether they played Charlie Brown or Sunshine Superman, the blues permeated everything they played. The "Blues with a Feeling"—perhaps more a matter of the spirit than of notes. Right in the groove and probably the high point of the session was Lonnie's sensational Move Your Hand. His infectious, humorous vocal really turns this track into "something else.

When it was all over, it started to rain. People scattered in all directions. Two big buses pulled up dumping new crowds of tourists. Another band began to play. We scrambled down the street to the nearest "soul food" place. Opening the door, Lonnie murmured: "D'you think we got it?" I smiled "Well, yes, I think so." Now, with the record in front of me, I know that we got it. I close in the hope that many thousands of people will enjoy this session as much as I did.

—Francis Wolff