Throughout the late sixties and seventies, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith contributed to a number of classic spiritual and funky jazz recordings. During this time period he recorded with many notable jazz greats including Pharaoh Sanders, Gato Barbiera, Leon Thomas, Stanley Turrentine, Sonny Simmons, as well as many others. He also wrote and recorded music with his own led group called The Cosmic Echoes, which led to the release of a number of amazing albums including Astral Traveling, Expansions, Visions Of A New World, as well as my personal favorite Cosmic Funk. I was excited to recently find a nice used copy of the classic 1974 record, which features a number of great tracks including "Footprints", "Sais (Egypt)", "Peaceful Ones", and the funky title cut "Cosmic Funk". The whole record blends the spiritual nature that you tend to find in artists like Pharaoh Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Alice Coltrane combined with an overall funk groove. A great record for those, like myself, that really enjoy Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Norman Connors' Dance Magic or Eddie Henderson' Realization. Overall, like the title suggests — a funky cosmic classic!
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