#17 Renaissance - Lonnie Liston Smith - by Profyouson
Thursday, April 30th, 2009
watercolors
What separated Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes apart from the rest of the jazz/fusion/funk cats were the vocal tracks. His brother, Donald could not only play the flute, he could blow!
Yeah, yeah I know you’ve got your fusion vocal cats like Flora Purim, Milton Nasciemento, Tania Maria and the rest.
Donald Smith is home grown, and his voice is tinged with a kind of native sultry swagger giving him a place of his own among vocalists of the time.
The title track”Renaissance” on the RCA label 1977 is my favorite Lonnie/Donald tune.
#16 Mystic Voyage - Roy Ayers - by Profyousion
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
mystic voyage
Right from the start, the track “Mystic Voyage” from the album of the same name is slick. Captivated… by what must be a synth string arrangement(no string credits in personnel info) we are musically given an example of this master vibists’ technique. Mellow understated jazz-funk.
Roy’s string arrangements are nothing short of remarkable in terms of authenticity in clarity and timbre.
#15 Theme for Relana - Gene Harris - by Profyousion
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
in a special way
I first got hip to Gene Harris from the “Astral Signal” album, released the previous year(’75). “In a Special Way” is his next, and between the two, the former was the more popular and hence, the more familiar.
Both albums mark a departure from a simpler production approach to one more complex. I like it!
“Theme for Relana” is an update in style reflecting the young-up-and-coming style to the jazz influenced music of the time.
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