Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Expansions – BGP LP

Lonnie Liston Smith’s 1975 jazz-funk masterpiece is released on 180g black vinyl in a nice thick card gatefold sleeve. Former Miles Davis and Pharoah Sanders keyboardist Lonnie saw all his musical ideas coming together for this, his third album. The title track is one of the best-known jazz funk classics; its influence on several generations of clubbers cannot be underestimated. It is a glorious amalgamation of jazz players and the tenor voice of Lonnie’s brother Donald. However, the track’s success has resulted in the album becoming rather overlooked and its other six pieces underappreciated. ‘Desert Nights’ and ‘Voodoo Woman’ give vent to Lonnie’s improvisational skills over a modal base. ‘Summer Days’ and ‘My Love’ are based around Latin rhythms, with the latter proving another great vehicle for Donald Smith’s voice. Donald is also the singer on an inspired take on Horace Silver’s ‘Peace’.

tracklist:
Expansions
Desert Nights
Summer Days

Voodoo Woman
Peace
Shadows
My Love