Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes’ groundbreaking albums for the Flying Dutchman label don’t get the attention from jazz fans that they should. In fact, among the many distinguished alumni of Miles Davis’ fusion bands, keyboardist Smith and his cohorts arguably ran with Davis’ stylistic breakthrough the farthest. In five albums stretching over four years, Smith and the Cosmic Echoes stretched the fusion aesthetic to embrace post-bop modal and spiritual jazz, funk, rock, pop, and even the smooth jazz, quiet storm, and crossover genres. And if those latter styles raise your traditionalist hackles, Smith imbued all of his records with integrity, vision, and his unique spacy sensibiity; instead of playing it safe or commercial, he fearlessly paved a path for modern jazz musicians to follow (Kamasi Washington, for one, no doubt listened to these records at length). For his 1973 debut album as a bandleader, Lonnie Liston Smith assembled a killer band of Cecil McBee on bass, George Barron on sax, James Mtume and Sonny Morgan on percussion, David Lee, Jr. on drums, Badal Roy on table, Geeta Vashi on tamboura, and Joe Beck on guitar. Such a multifaceted ensemble was perfectly suited to explore the spiritual jazz that Smith had encountered while playing with Pharoah Sanders (“Let Us Go into the House of the Lord” appears here and on Sanders’ 1970 album Summun Bukmun Umyun which featured Smith), all presided over by Flying Dutchman label owner and former John Coltrane producer Bob Thiele. We’ve re-created the original gatefold artwork with Nat Hentoff’s liner notes…one of the great jazz albums of its era! Clear yellow "sunray" vinyl pressing limited to 600 copies.
Release date:
June 7, 2024
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
-
Denon DP-400
Featuring a high-precision, belt-driven mechanism and an adjustable tonearm that ensures optimal tracking and minimal resonance
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
HumminGuru: Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner
Advanced ultrasonic technology with customizable cleaning cycles and a large tank capacity to thoroughly remove dust, dirt, and contaminants
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Tallah Primeval: Obsession // Detachment
Earache Records
September 5, 2025 -
Wet Leg moisturizer
Domino Record Co
July 11, 2025 -
Olafur Arnalds/Talos A Dawning
Mercury Kx
July 18, 2025 -
Jackson Wang MAGICMAN 2
88rising Music - "Worldwide"
July 18, 2025 -
Dean Wareham That's the Price of Loving Me (Desert Haze Tan)
Carpark Records
August 15, 2025 -
Nation of Language Dance Called Memory (Clearwith Black & Blue Mix)
Sub Pop
September 19, 2025 -
Paul Di'Anno In Memory of
Metalville
July 11, 2025 -
Adrian Sherwood The Collapse Of Everything
On-U Sound
August 22, 2025 -
Various Lovely Runner - Incl. 3 Outer Sleeve, 3 Inner Sleeves + 3 Photo Lyric Sheets [3xLP]
Stone Music
August 8, 2025 -
Winter Adult Romantix
Winspear
August 22, 2025 -
Manslaughter 777 God's World
Thrill Jockey
July 25, 2025 -
Belinda Carlisle Once Upon A Time In California (Sunset)
Demon / Edsel
August 29, 2025 -
Case Oats Last Missouri Exit
Merge Records
August 22, 2025 -
Black Honey Soak
Black Honey
August 15, 2025