Lonnie Liston Smith Albums (19)
What The Critics Say
Recorded live at Smucker's Cabaret in Brooklyn, NY, in 1976, this superb LP is the only live album that Lonnie Liston Smith provided in the 1970s. It's also one of the most essential and improvisatory recordings he ever came out with. Smith and his band, the Cosmic Echoes, don't hesitate to let loose during this performance, which finds them bringing a very adventurous spirit to gems like "Watercolors" and "Sorcercess." Vocalist Donald Smith is in excellent form on "Expansions," "Visions of a New World," and "My Love," and there are many inspired solos by keyboardist/pianist Smith as well as saxman Dave Hubbard and guitarist Ronald Dean Miller. Though the Cosmic Echoes maintain their ethereal qualities, their playing definitely has a tougher edge on stage. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Exotic Mysteries'
Release Date 4/3/2001
Tracks 8
Label Sony International
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What The Critics Say
If any bridged the gap between the soul and funk of Earth, Wind & Fire and the post-bop of John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and Pharoah Sanders, it was Lonnie Liston Smith. Like those post-boppers--and like Earth, Wind & Fire's founder/leader Maurice White--Smith had a deeply spiritual, eastern-influenced outlook. He never lost his love of classic 1960s post-bop, and it continued to influence his writing and playing even when he was recording an album as commercial as Exotic Mysteries. This LP had a minor soul/funk hit in "Space Princess" (a Marcus Miller tune that features Donald Smith on vocals and isn't unlike something EWF would have done), but most of the album consists of fusion/crossover instrumentals that fuse elements of post-bop's more mellow side (think of Charles Lloyd's work or Coltrane's "Central Park West") with a big dose of soul, funk and pop. To be sure, pieces like "Mystical Dreamer (A Tribute to Miles Davis)" and the enchanting "Quiet Moments" aren't straight-ahead jazz; rather, they meet soul and pop fans half way and do so with some integrity. Exotic Mysteries isn't among Smith's essential albums, although its plusses outweigh its minuses. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Transformation finds Lonnie Liston Smith continuing to explore the smooth, overtly commercial soul-jazz direction he began in the early '80s. It has a bit more grit and invention than such albums as Magic Lady, yet it doesn't surge forward with the restless searching that distinguished his earlier masterworks. His brother Donald sings on "Space Princess" and "Transformation," but the best moments are tracks like his reworking of "A Chance for Peace (Give Peace a Chance)," which suggest that Smith still has the talent to be a true contender. ~ Leo Stanley, All Music Guide
'Exotic Mysteries/Loveland'
Release Date 1/1/1998
Tracks 16
Label Columbia
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What The Critics Say
In 1998, Columbia released Exotic Mysteries/Loveland, which contained two albums -- Exotic Mysteries (1978, originally released on Columbia) and Loveland (1978, also originally on Columbia) -- by Lonnie Liston Smith. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
At his best, Lonnie Liston Smith has been a wealth of imagination and creativity...Sometimes engaging...this erratic CD ranges from radio-oriented Muzak to strong post-bop jazz. Smith excels as an acoustic trio pianist on very lyrical and warm interpretations of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa," Miles Davis' "Blue in Green" and Thad Jones' "A Child Is Born." Much of the CD, however, contains...pop/R&B/jazz that seems more concerned with commercial radio airplay, such as a note-for-note cover of Anita Baker's "Giving You the Best That I Got." For consistently excellent listening, a much wiser investment would be Astral Traveling, Expansions or the acoustic trio gem Make Someone Happy. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For this refreshing change of pace, Lonnie Liston Smith (best known for his atmospheric mood music) sticks exclusively to acoustic piano and plays mostly standards in a trio with bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Al Foster. One of Smith's very few straight-ahead dates, this LP (which is highlighted by his versions of "Close Your Eyes," "Speak Low" and "Duke's Place") is worth searching for as a strong example of Lonnie Liston Smith's acoustic playing. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With a mostly different team of musicians in place, save for Buddy Williams' drums and a cameo Donald Smith vocal, Silhouettes nevertheless continues the Lonnie Liston Smith string of sweetly ingratiating pop/jazz background albums. If anything, Smith's keyboard work is even more stripped down and lightly melodic than before, and his new cohorts create more mild-mannered, semi-funky backdrops that won't disturb anyone's sleep. Smith's "Summer Afternoon" is the most memorable tune; at the close, you hope that soprano player Premik will heat it up and scorch the air like Smith's former employer Pharoah Sanders, but no, the track fades before he can catch fire. Will a 21st-century lounge movement be interested in this type of thing someday? Who knows, if it can happen to Esquivel ... ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith, who had been a key member of Pharoah Sanders' band, always has a healthy dose of spirituality in his music. On this LP for Doctor Jazz, Smith (who alternates between electric and acoustic piano) is joined by Robert Zantay on a dated-sounding lyricon, soprano saxophonist Premik and a rhythm section incluidng the great bassist Cecil McBee. None of the leader's six originals are all that memorable, and the moody performances are actually most successful as superior background music. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
'Dreams of Tomorrow'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 8
Label Doctor Jazz
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What The Critics Say
In an interview on the jacket of this album, Lonnie Liston Smith says that he underwent a personal crisis after some nasty dealings with a "big record company" (either RCA or Columbia). He then became a disciple of Sri Chinmoy -- guru to John McLaughlin, Carlos Santana and many other musicians -- went veggie, started meditating, became a new man. For all of that, little had changed in his music, which remains pleasant, gently funky and deeply into spiritual concerns but not in a heavy way. Again, Smith switches between acoustic and electric pianos, while brother Donald sweetly intones the serene lyrics or handles the flute, and Donald Hubbard offers ethereal soprano sax. Marcus Miller, the once and future Miles Davis collaborator, exerts some influence here by composing three of the eight tunes -- none terribly memorable -- and playing bass and keyboards. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lonnie Liston Smith entered the 1980s with Love Is the Answer, which is quite similar to previous Columbia efforts like Exotic Mysteries and Song for the Children. Jazz's hard-liners continued to call Smith a sellout; as they saw it, a musician who was talented enough to have been employed by the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Betty Carter, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk had no business becoming more commercial and catering to the quiet storm audience. But while Love Is the Answer isn't as challenging as Smith's work with Kirk and Sanders and isn't in a class with such Flying Dutchman gems as Astral Traveling and Expansions, it isn't a bad album either. "The Enchantress," "Bridge Through Time" (which female rap group the Conscious Daughters sampled on their 1993 recording "We Roll Deep"), "In the Park," and other instrumentals on this LP aren't brilliant, but they're pleasant and likable. Love Is the Answer was the second Smith album to employ vocalist James "Crabbe" Robinson, who had replaced Donald Smith and is featured on the mellow title song as well as the funkier selections "Speak About It" and "Give Peace a Chance (Make Love Not War)." The charismatic Donald Smith was a tough act to follow, but Robinson handled himself nicely when he was a member of the Cosmic Echoes. While Love Is the Answer isn't among the pianist/keyboardist's essential releases, it isn't anything to be ashamed of either. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
