Smith, Lonnie Liston – The best of – Used LP

Vinyl: VG+

Sleeve: VG (really nice but crushes to top corners. Not actual sleeve in photos, but same design, and included printed inner sleeve.)

Overview of some of his work in the 1970s, good entry point.  This marked the end of his period with Flying Dutchman/RCA.

Expansions Bass – Cecil McBee Bongos, Percussion – Leopoldo* Congas, Percussion – Lawrence Killian Drums – Art Gore Electric Piano, Keyboards [Electronic Keyboard Textures] – Lonnie Liston Smith Percussion – Michael Carvin Vocals, Flute [Solo] – Donald Smith Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith 6:04

A2 Love Beams Bongos, Percussion – Angel Allende Congas, Percussion – Lawrence Killian Drums – Art Gore, Wilby Fletcher Electric Bass – Greg Maker Flute – Donald Smith Horns – Dave Hubbard Keyboards – Lonnie Liston Smith Percussion – Michael Carvin, Ray Armando Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith 4:07

A3 A Song Of Love Acoustic Guitar – Gene Bertoncini Bass – Al Anderson (4) Clavinet – Leon Pendarvis Congas – Lawrence Killian Drums – Wilby Fletcher Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – David Hubbard* Flute, Vocals – Donald Smith Percussion – Guilherme Franco Piano [Classical], Electronics [Colorations] – Lonnie Liston Smith Synthesizer [Moog] – Ken Bichel Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith 4:05 A4 Meditations Percussion – Guilherme Franco, Leopoldo Fleming Piano [Classical] – Lonnie Liston Smith Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith 4:21

B1 Voodoo Woman Bass – Cecil McBee Bongos, Percussion – Leopoldo* Clavinet, Percussion – Michael Carvin Congas, Percussion – Lawrence Killian Drums – Art Gore Electric Piano, Keyboards [Electronic Keyboard Textures] – Lonnie Liston Smith Flute – Donald Smith Tenor Saxophone, Alto Flute – David Hubbard* Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith, Michael Carvin 4:20

B2 Space Lady Acoustic Guitar – Gene Bertoncini Bass – Al Anderson (4) Clavinet – Leon Pendarvis Congas – Lawrence Killian Drums – Wilby Fletcher Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – David Hubbard* Flute, Vocals – Donald Smith Percussion – Guilherme Franco Piano [Classical], Electronics [Colorations] – Lonnie Liston Smith Synthesizer [Moog] – Ken Bichel Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith 6:40

B3 Starlight And You Acoustic Guitar – Gene Bertoncini Bass – Al Anderson (4) Clavinet – Leon Pendarvis Congas – Lawrence Killian Drums – Wilby Fletcher Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – David Hubbard* Flute, Vocals – Donald Smith Percussion – Guilherme Franco Piano [Classical], Electronics [Colorations] – Lonnie Liston Smith Synthesizer [Moog] – Ken Bichel Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith 5:21

B4 Sunbeams Bass – Al Anderson (4) Congas, Percussion – Leopoldo Fleming Drums – Wilby Fletcher Flute – Donald Smith Percussion – Guilherme Franco Piano [Classical], Electronics [Colorations] – Lonnie Liston Smith Soprano Saxophone – David Hubbard* Written-By – Lonnie Liston Smith

 

 

When Lonnie Liston Smith made the transition from sideman to leader in 1973, it was the beginning of a fusion/crossover/post-bop band he dubbed Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes. The acoustic pianist/electric keyboardist, who was born in Richmond, Virginia on December 28, 1940 should not be confused with soul-jazz/hard bop organist Lonnie Smith. This Smith would have had an impressive résumé even if he had never formed a band of his own. In the '60s or early '70s, he had been a sidemen for, among others, Pharoah Sanders, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Gato Barbieri, singer Betty Carter, and trumpeter Miles Davis. In fact, Smith was still in Davis' employ when he signed with producer Bob Thiele's RCA-distributed Flying Dutchman label and recorded his first album as a leader, Astral Traveling (which Thiele produced). Nonetheless, the Cosmic Echoes were a major step forward for Smith -- the improviser had a lot more time to devote to his own compositions and he was free to concentrate on a very spiritual type of fusion that had a variety of influences. The post-bop of model explorers like Coltrane, Sanders, Kirk, Yusef Lateef, McCoy Tyner, and Charles Lloyd was a heavy influence on Smith's composing since all of those artists shared the Cosmic Echoes' spiritual concerns. But the Cosmic Echoes were hardly jazz purists. Their instrumental fusion combined those post-bop influences with funk, pop, and rock, and some of their best-known vocal numbers (which include 1979's "Space Princess" and 1983's "Never Too Late") were outright R&B. Cosmic Funk It was on April 24, 1973, that Smith recorded Astral Traveling and led his first Cosmic Echoes lineup, which included George Barron (soprano and tenor sax), Joe Beck (guitar), Cecil McBee (bass), David Lee, Jr. (drums), James Mtume (percussion), Sonny Morgan (percussion), Badal Roy (tabla drums), and Geeta Vashi (tamboura). Astral Traveling was entirely instrumental, but it wasn't long before Smith added a vocalist to the Cosmic Echoes: his brother Donald Smith. Although Donald Smith had helped his brother put together the Cosmic Echoes' first lineup, he isn't actually employed on Astral Traveling -- 1974's Thiele-produced Cosmic Funk was the first Cosmic Echoes album that featured him on vocals. Expansions From 1974 on, the Cosmic Echoes' albums were typically about 80 percent instrumental, but included a few vocal offerings. Subsequent Cosmic Echoes projects included 1975's Expansions, 1975's Visions of a New World, 1976's Reflections of a Golden Dream, and 1977's Renaissance, all of which were on either Flying Dutchman or RCA proper. Along the way, the Cosmic Echoes had more than their share of personnel changes. When the group recorded a live album for RCA in 1977, the lineup included Smith on piano and keyboards, his brother Donald on vocals, Dave Hubbard on tenor and soprano sax, Al Anderson on electric bass, Ronald Miller on electric guitar, and Hollywood Barker on drums -- a lineup that, except for Lonnie Liston Smith himself, is totally different from the Cosmic Echoes lineup heard on 1973's Astral Traveling. Loveland It was in 1978 that Smith and his Cosmic Echoes left RCA.