Explorations: The Columbia Recordings
Explorations: The Columbia Recordings
ASIN: B000066SJW
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Is Lonnie Liston Smith a visionary? Here's a reissue that will interest fans of three different subgenres of jazz, two of which didn't even exist when these recordings were cut between 1978-80. Probably the single biggest reason Columbia released this two-CD compilation of the original four albums is the almost mythical status attained by the song "Quiet Moments" in the smooth-jazz world. Although the album Exotic Mysteries had been long out of print, that song became a staple on radio in the late '80s and early '90s. That mostly forgettable album also produced the semi-disco hit, "Space Princess." Smith, however, hit a home run with the album Loveland, represented here by tracks 9 through 16 of the first disc. With his smooth-as-silk brother Donald singing, and Smith's keyboards heavy on the nature and ethereal space sounds, he's in full effect with the R&B-tinged jazz style that had him regularly selling in the six-figure range before signing with Columbia. "Loveland" makes this disc a must for any serious collector of '70s jazz-funk. Lovers of the European mix of jazz and dance music will be surprised at how the last disc is right in that acid-jazz pocket, even though it was recorded a good decade before that movement gathered any steam. --Mark Ruffin
Explorations: The Columbia Recordings,Lonnie Liston Smith,Sony,Fusion,Jazz,Jazz Music,Jazz-Funk,Pop,Post-Bop
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Explorations: The Columbia Recordings
Lonnie Liston Smith Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000066SJW Release Date: 2002-05-28 |
Tracks:
Tracks:
Amazon.com
Is Lonnie Liston Smith a visionary? Here's a reissue that will interest fans of three different subgenres of jazz, two of which didn't even exist when these recordings were cut between 1978-80. Probably the single biggest reason Columbia released this two-CD compilation of the original four albums is the almost mythical status attained by the song "Quiet Moments" in the smooth-jazz world. Although the album Exotic Mysteries had been long out of print, that song became a staple on radio in the late '80s and early '90s. That mostly forgettable album also produced the semi-disco hit, "Space Princess." Smith, however, hit a home run with the album Loveland, represented here by tracks 9 through 16 of the first disc. With his smooth-as-silk brother Donald singing, and Smith's keyboards heavy on the nature and ethereal space sounds, he's in full effect with the R&B-tinged jazz style that had him regularly selling in the six-figure range before signing with Columbia. "Loveland" makes this disc a must for any serious collector of '70s jazz-funk. Lovers of the European mix of jazz and dance music will be surprised at how the last disc is right in that acid-jazz pocket, even though it was recorded a good decade before that movement gathered any steam. --Mark RuffinCustomer Reviews:
explorations.......2007-05-13
Great Album.......2007-03-14
Rare Lonnie Liston Smith.......2006-09-28
Classic old school funky jazz.......2006-09-20
A perfect compilation of Smith's 70s work.......2002-12-24
That this set includes "Song for the Children" is almost reason enough to buy it alone, but with all the other great music you're getting on this album you really can't go wrong, even if you never heard of Smith. If you're into smooth jazz or 70s fusion, you'll be catching Smith in his contemporary prime (if you want to catch him feeling his way toward this type of material but still holding onto his traditional jazz roots with a little more fervor, you want "Expansions", "Cosmic Funk" and "Visions of a New World", all classic albums on their own.
This collection gives us much of his mainstream work before he went totally quiet storm-ish in the 80s; when disco was hitting heavy and hard and jazz was plugging into the nearest electrical outlet to figure out what the kids that day were seeing in all those rock groups. These albums come after Miles Davis's and Weather Report's grand success in the fusion genre, and Smith went unheralded except for a few choice singles (which are collected here) for much of the time these albums were originally released. That you can have four pretty great records in one fell swoop is a deal simply too good for any self-proclaimed jazz lover of ANY style to pass up.
Traditionalists may scoff a bit at the electrical mechanics of Smith's work of the time, but there is no denying the man's ear for arrangement, swing and the fact that his ballads are practically transcendent. In fact, of the 31 tracks here, 11 of them are ballads of one vibe or another, most of them on the first disc. As disco and dance music in general picked up more speed - and Smith's "Space Princess" became a dance hit - his later albums didn't give us as much of this stuff as his past work, and that's a shame: the man did beautiful washes of sound in ballads that no one else ever came close to. You knew a Lonnie Liston Smith slow jam when you heard one.
All in all, a mandatory pruchase for anyone who appreciates jazz after 1970. It's right after some classic albums (which you also have to get) and right before he takes a turn for the commercial worst ("Love Goddess" is abysmally wack).
Average customer rating:
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Explorations: The Columbia Recordings
Lonnie Liston Smith Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General
| Bebop
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
General
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Jazz Fusion
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Modern Postbebop
| Jazz
| Styles
| Music
Jazz Funk
| Funk
| R&B
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000067JQO Release Date: 2002-07-22 |
Tracks:
Tracks:
Customer Reviews:
Mystical Funk at it's best .......2005-05-19
Jazz Music: