StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Dr. Lonnie Smith and James Carter

Organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and saxophonist James Carter both have played St. Louis multiple times before with their own bands, but for their next visit here, they'll be teaming up for a series of performances starting Wednesday, April 24 through Saturday, April 27 at Jazz at the Bistro

Smith's back story was covered here at StLJN previously in a couple of video posts that preceded his appearances at the Bistro in March 2009 and January 2012, and Carter has been in our video spotlight before, too, back when he played the Bistro with his own organ trio in May, 2010.

Given that, today we're just going to share some recent performances from both men, all recorded since their last visits to St. Louis. In the first video up above, you can see Smith and his bandmates, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Jamire Williams, performing Smith's composition "Turning Point" in January of this year at NYC's Jazz Standard.

Down below, you can hear them taking it to church on "Pilgrimage," and then see a complete set taken from last year's Sydney Jazz Festival in Australia.

Today's fourth and fifth clips show Carter's organ trio, with Gerard Gibbs on the keys and Leonard Kings on drums, performing Carter's "Lettuce Toss Yo' Salad" in January 2013 during the NYC Winter Jazz Fest.

Below that, you'll find Carter and band doing a version of "The Hard Blues" recorded in 2012 in Germany, and an extended take on "Sussa Nita" that was taped last year at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.