Lonnie Liston Smith, The Cosmic Echoes

Lonnie Liston Smith was one of the most important musicians to emerge in jazz in the 1970s. His 1975 album ‘Expansions’ is one of the foundation stones of modern dance music and his recordings have been sampled by many of the biggest artists in the world. His music was a cosmically inspired spiritual interpretation of the music he had been making during his time with Pharoah Sanders, Gato Barbieri and Miles Davis.

Released in 1976,“Reflections On A Golden Dream”, the follow-up to “Expansions”, was his fifth album for Flying Dutchman and featured the core band of the Cosmic Echoes, including his brother Donald Smith, David Hubbard and Wilby Fletcher.

As for the music, this album is a classic, with the funky ‘Get Down Everybody (It’s Time For World Peace)’, the reflective ‘Quiet Dawn’ and ‘Meditations’ and the sumptuous ‘Beautiful Woman’. “Reflections Of A Golden Dream” was also the first of Lonnie’s albums to feature his own vocals.

It’s a lost classic everyone should own.