You might never have seen organist Dr. Lonnie Smith perform live - you might not even have heard his name - but chances are you've heard his music. Hip-hop artists from Run DMC to the Wu-Tang Clan have incorporated snippets of his classic recordings into their tracks, making him one of the most sampled jazz artists ever.

It's easy to see why Dr. Smith's music speaks just as powerfully to a new generation as it did in the '60s and '70s: the sound of his Hammond B3 organ is the epitome of grooving soul, an incredibly powerful and versatile instrument.

Dr. Smith commands its full sonic range in every performance, whether supporting a soloist with quietly purring chords, pounding out a funky vamp, or pulling out all the stops (literally) to make the instrument roar. In the words of JazzTimes, Dr. Smith can "light up a room with visceral intensity or lay down some of the nastiest funk ever played on an organ" and "one of the most influential organists to ever man the helm of a Hammond B3."

Dr. Smith's recent album Rise Up shows the iconic organ master at the top of his form. Along with an all-star band including Stanford Jazz veterans Peter Bernstein and Donald Harrison, he tears into a set of originals, jazz classics, and surprising covers. From sanctified blues to outrageously funky grooves, Dr. Lonnie Smith's inimitable soul-jazz sounds are as potent as ever, and his Stanford performance is not to be missed!