Introducing Lonnie Liston Smith

Lonnie Liston Smith The acoustic pianist/electric keyboardist was born in Richmond, VA, on December 28, 1940, should not be confused with soul-jazz organist Lonnie Smith (see also Jazzmotel interview ).. . During the '60s or early '70s, he had been a sidemen for Pharoah Sanders, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Gato Barbieri, singer Betty Carter, and trumpeter Miles Davis. During Davis collaborations Smith signed with producer Bob Thiele's RCA-distributed Flying Dutchman label and recorded his first album as a leader, Astral Traveling (which Thiele produced).


In the early 70’s He formed the Cosmic Echoes and started he’s new adventure as a Leader .
Hes music as we saw for the Sanders / Leon Thomas period were very influenced by a kind of Cosmic Peaceful Spiritualism also finded in the post-bop works of space explorers like Coltrane, Sanders, Yusef Lateef, McCoy Tyner almongst all .
The first Cosmic Echoes lineup,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 .The first Cosmic Echoes was an instrumental work , later on Lonnie added a vocalist to the Cosmic Echoes: his brother Donald Smith.
Their essential discography include Astral Traveling -- 1974's Thiele-produced Cosmic Funk, 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.Lonnie run now Hes own Company called Loveland records .