Lonnie Liston Smith cut his teeth as a sideman with legendary bandleaders like Art Blakey, Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis. He first appeared on a Flying Dutchman LP when he played piano on the Leon Thomas album “Spirits Known And Unknown” – released in 1969. Bob Thiele later signed Smith and his debut LP “Astral Travelling” under the banner of Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes was released in 1973. This blend of jazz funk quickly found an audience that led to the follow-up “Cosmic Funk” in 1974. The seminal “Expansions” followed in 1975 which took Smith’s music to a wider audience and is now considered as a stone cold classic.
“Live” was recorded at Smuckers Cabaret Club in Brooklyn in May 1977 and as well as a fast prowl through ‘Expansions’ includes extensive meditations on “Visions Of A New World (Phase One) and ‘Visions Of A New World (Phase Two) from the 1975 LP of the same name. The atmospheric ‘Prelude’ sounds a precursor to Vangelis’s soundtrack for the seminal science fiction film Blade Runner from 1982. Throw in new songs like ‘Sorceress’ and ‘Watercolours’ an enthusiastic appreciative audience and you have a live classic.
This was Smith’s final album for Flying Dutchman and a perfect farewell.
“Live!” has been out of print on vinyl for decades and Ace are delighted to repress it on 180gm vinyl for maximum listening pleasure.