Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes – Cosmic Funk

Cosmic Funk, recorded in April 1974 and issued on Flying Dutchman, represents a transitional moment in Lonnie Liston Smith’s musical trajectory. While his background in spiritual jazz and modal improvisation remains evident, the album leans more overtly into groove and rhythm, weaving cosmic textures with funk-inflected pianism. Brother Donald Smith’s vocal contributions on tracks like “Beautiful Woman” and “Naima” introduce an expressive human counterpoint to the ensemble’s otherworldly leanings. With production by Bob Thiele and a supporting cast of percussionists and wind players, Cosmic Funk negotiates a balance between exploratory soundscapes and grounded melody.

Highlights include the title track’s bold statement, a reflective reimagining of Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints,” and the ethereal rendition of Coltrane’s “Naima.” Though at times ideas are gestural rather than fully developed, the album’s value lies in its openness and creative tension between structure and space. Over the decades it has grown in reputation as an inspiring document of early jazz-funk fusion, offering listeners insight into the unfolding cosmos of Smith’s later, more fully realized work.

“it’s a record where the good ideas are sometimes suggested rather than developed. … That opening song is one of the few tracks that emphasizes funk, otherwise the cosmic reigns, as the group usually getting spacy all the while never quite leaving the earth. … the album is distinguished by the spaces that lie between funk and bop, the periods where Smith and company start to float, then pull themselves back.” – AllMusic

“a relaxed, yet complex groove … the cosmic is there in the keyboards, the calm pulse of the percussion, the long bows of the brass.” – HHV Magazine