Cosmic Funk
Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes
- LP
- Label
- BGP
Opening on the deadly funk-jazz of the title track that is strongly reminiscent of WAR, we’re greeted with some blood-curdling primal screams over a strong percussion funk. The following Shorter-penned Footprints is fast-paced McCoy Tyner-like fusion arranged piece that can transcend the mind and cosmic universe. Closing the A-side, we get the interesting fast-fusion piece of Beautiful Woman.
Over the flipside, the Mtume-penned Sais (Egypt) hints at the previous album with its hints of Alice Coltrane and transcending Echoplexed-Rhodes and quite sax lines. Big tip if you’re into mind-boggling and mind-soothing soundscapes, Sais (and the album in general) is a pure delight. Donald Smith returns to the microphone to sing out Peaceful Ones, with some excellent bass and flute works. The closing Trane classic Naima gets an unusual treatment, but it’s still acceptable for discerning jazz buffs.