Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes

When Flying Dutchman dynamo Bob Thiele signed his label to RCA in 1974, it ended an era for his independent’s unrestricted creative exploration. Keyboard virtuoso Lonnie Liston Smith made his Dutchman entrance on Leon Thomas’ 1969 debut, before a stint with Gato Barbieri led him to join Miles Davis. He accepted Thiele’s solo deal offer, resulting in the funky spiritual jazz of Astral Travelling and Cosmic Funk before striking gold with Expansions, followed by 1975’s Visions Of A New World and, lastly, Reflections Of A Golden Dream before Thiele grounded Flying Dutchman.

Produced by Smith and led by his glittering electronic keyboards, the album sees his regular rhythm section joined by flautist brother Donald, multi-reedist Dave Hubbard, top musos and singers Maeretha Stewart, Patti Austin and Vivian Cherry. As ever, Smith’s excursions pack a positive message, crystallised by the opening Get Down Everybody (It’s Time For World Peace), followed by an increasingly transcendental voyage, traversing the twinkling balm of Quiet Dawn and Sunbeams, dreamlike Meditations and soft focus vamp of Golden Dreams before ending with the Sun Ra-recalling cosmic drift of Journey Into Space.

It makes for a worthy send-off for this trailblazing imprint but, happily, Smith’s relationship with Thiele would continue into the following decade.