RENAISSANCE MAN

Keyboard supremo Lonnie Liston Smith is one of jazz’s pre-eminent sidemen, playing with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis. But it was as a leader that he came into his own, trailblazing a style that blended improvisation with soul and funk grooves. Spreading messages of peace and tranquility through positivist lyrics, albums such as Expansions, Visions Of A New World, Reflections Of A Golden Dream, and Renaissance proved crossover hits. Diversions into boogie followed before his renown among the rap generation led to his involvement in Guru’s groundbreaking project, Jazzmatazz. Tempted back into the studio by producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the keyboardist’s first new album in 25 years rekindles the magic of his 70s recordings. He talks Paul Bowler through some of the key albums of his remarkable career.

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PHAROAH SANDERS Thembi (Impulse! AS-9206, US, 1971) £80

Lonnie Liston Smith’s tenure with Pharoah Sanders’ group proved seismic. His experimental playing on electric keyboards on this final effort with the saxophonist provided a cosmic, meditative foil to Sanders’ seething free jazz workouts, creating new tributaries in the nascent spiritual jazz style.
“With Pharoah and I it was very organic – the first time we played together it just worked. I understood that Pharoah was trying to get more sound out of his saxophone and doing things that other people hadn’t done and I was trying to get more sound out of the grand piano. It just all came together, and we didn’t have to rehearse that much. We were all trying to expand the music and we were talking about peace and harmony worldwide. And right now, today, we have the same problems with wars and things like that.