Lonnie Liston Smith: a cosmic exploration

Keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith produced a whole series of classic albums in the 1970s and 1980s, cementing him as a leading figure of the jazz-funk and crossover jazz movement.

Who is Lonnie Liston Smith?

Lonnie Liston Smith is a keyboardist and pianist originally from Richmond, Virginia. The artist originally made his name as prominent sideman, playing with figures such as Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Pharaoh Sanders and Stanley Turrentine, before going onto form his group the Cosmic Echoes.

Where did Lonnie Liston Smith's career begin?

Born and raised in Virginia in 1940, Lonnie Liston Smith grew up in a musical family. His father was a member of a prominent gospel group - The Harmonizing Four - who even sang at the White House after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's death.

Lonnie became interested in jazz after falling in love with saxophonist Charlie Parker's music whilst still at school, which introduced him to the world of John Coltrane and his future employed Miles Davies**. He was also deeply influenced by pianists of the day, like Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell and Art Tatum**.

After graduating from Morgan State University, Baltimore, in 1961, it wasn't long before Lonnie was playing with top vocalists like Betty Carter, which soon led him to landing a place with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

After a spell with drummer Max Roach, he landed a spot with spiritual saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders, which is where he begun experiment with electric keyboards to help create cosmic sounds. Working with Pharaoh, Lonnie helped the saxophonist create some of his most memorable records, including Izipho Zam (My Gifts) (1969) and Karma (1969).

After his work with Pharaoh, Lonnie was enlisted to join the Miles Davis ensemble, which saw him appear on On The Corner (1972) and Big Fun (1974).

Speaking about his time with Miles to Red Bull, Lonnie revealed that "Miles he's blunt, that's what made you strong – everyone who played with Miles, after they left they always formed their own band" - which is exactly what he went onto do.

Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes

After years playing with esteemed jazz giants, in 1973 Lonnie Liston Smith led the group Cosmic Echoes and created his first record as bandleader, Astra; Traveling, which was swiftly followed by Cosmic Funk the following year.

Forging their characteristically atmospheric fusion sound, it was the next album that the group released in 1975 Expansions, which moved more towards jazz-funk, which really helped launch the group into wide acclaim.

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes released a string of fantastic and popular records during the 1970s, but their popularity waned when the 1980s before the group disbanded in the middle of the decade.

After the group disbanded, Lonnie released several more records himself, but found work in the early 1990s with Guru Jazzmataz Volume One which introduced him to a new, hip-hop orientated audience, working with Mary J Blige and Jay-Z.

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