Lonnie Liston Smith
was 32 when, in 1973, he finally got around to recording his first album as a leader,
Astral Traveling
. By that time, the pianist/keyboardist had a great deal of sideman experience under his belt, and this superb debut made it clear that former employers like
Pharoah Sanders
,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Gato Barbieri
, and
Betty Carter
had taught him well. One hears a lot of
Sanders
John Coltrane
McCoy Tyner
influence on
;
Smith
obviously shares their passion for all things spiritual. Nonetheless, this LP leaves no doubt that the improviser is very much his own man and has a wealth of brilliant ideas of his own; thankfully, he has a cohesive band to help him carry them out. On
's 1973 edition of
the Cosmic Echoes
includes
George Barron
on soprano and tenor sax,
Joe Beck
on guitar,
Cecil McBee
on bass,
David Lee Jr.
on drums,
James Mtume
and
Sonny Morgan
on percussion,
Badal Roy
on Indian tabla drums, and
Geeta Vashi
on the Indian tamboura. An impressive lineup, and one that shows a great understanding of
's spiritual nature. Ninety-five percent of the time,
is serene and tranquil; but on
"I Mani (Faith),"
the unexpected interesting happens when
Barron
goes outside during his sax solo and gets into the type of dissonant, forceful screaming one would expect from
Albert Ayler
or late-period
Coltrane
.
"I Mani (Faith)"
has a hauntingly peaceful melody, but
's out-of-left-field solo makes it the most avant-garde track that
ever recorded as a leader. Produced by the late
Bob Thiele
-- an eclectic heavyweight who worked with everyone from
Ayler
Charles Mingus
to
Coleman Hawkins
Count Basie
Louis Armstrong
--
is among
's most essential and rewarding albums. ~ Alex Henderson