Blue Note have a habit of rekindling the flames of past glories by signing-up once more masters from the golden age of the label.

They did it with Wayne Shorter and now they’re planning to do it all over again with one of their most soulful organ legends, the Turbanator himself Dr Lonnie Smith who returns to the label with his first album for Blue Note in a whopping 45 years.

Titled a little fancifully, given his little-altered style over the years, Evolution, the new record by the sprightly 73-year-old is out in January.

Smith was a member of George Benson’s quartet in the 1960s and then with Lou Donaldson made waves with the altoist on big-selling 1967 album Alligator Bogaloo.

Under his own steam he made albums like Think and Drives for Blue Note and has continued to fill clubs all over the States and in Europe (a regular visitor to Ronnie Scott’s for instance) with his infectious boogalooo and soul-jazz thang.