LIVE !

Description

Lonnie Liston Smith cut his teeth as a sideman for such legendary bandleaders as Art Blakey, Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis. He first appeared on a Flying Dutchman LP when he played piano on Leon Thomas’s album ‘Spirits Known And Unknown’ – released in 1969. Bob Thiele then 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 which led to the follow-up ‘Cosmic Funk’ in 1974. The seminal ‘Expansions’ followed in 1975 which brought Smith’s music to a wider audience and is now considered a stone-cold classic. ‘Live’ was recorded at Smuckers Cabaret Club in Brooklyn in May 1977 and, as well as a brisk exploration of ‘Expansions’, it features lengthy 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 forerunner to Vangelis’s soundtrack for the seminal 1982 sci-fi movie Blade Runner. Add in new songs such as ‘Sorceress’ and ‘Watercolours’ to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience and you have a live classic. This was Smith’s last album for Flying Dutchman and a perfect farewell. – ‘Live!’ has been out of print on vinyl for decades and Ace are delighted to reissue it on 180g vinyl for maximum listening pleasure.