LONNIE LISTON SMITH Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Lonnie Liston Smith made a lot of rather good records in the 1970s and '80s, though few are quite as heavy, intergalactic and intoxicating as "Space Princess". Initially recorded and released in 1978 as the opening track of his jazz-funk focused "Exotic Mysteries" album, the track - a suitably cosmic workout of epic proportions - quickly became a firm dancefloor favourite at both the Loft and Paradise Garage in New York thanks to its extended, Latin-tinged percussion breaks. Here the original DJ promo 12" gets the reissue treatment, with the peerless classic being accompanied by fellow "Exotic Mysteries" cut "Quiet Moments" - a gentle, samba-soaked shuffle through sunrise-ready jazz-funk bliss.

Review: LA's Jazz Is Dead series is brilliant and always has been. The aim is to put younger and older jazz artists in the same studio and get them to work on music that tapes into both respective backgrounds, talents and perspectives. Adrian Younge is at the heart of it all and this 17th installment brings together cosmic jazz specialists Lonnie Liston Smith with Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Magic happens across a bunch of stylish new cuts that bring traditional and contemporary sounds together in innovative new ways. This is yet another crucial installment.

Review: Of Lonnie Liston Smith's many outstanding achievements, his work with The Cosmic Echoes will surely go down in history as his finest. The six-album run from 1973 to 1976 is utterly flawless, and in the midst of it comes Renaissance. This soaring work, which opens up with the heavenly tones of 'Space Lady', sounds as vital now as it did back in 1976, and it's quite remarkable it's never been repressed since the time of its release. Well, sharks be damned, for now this glittering prize of jazz funk is available once again.

Review: LA's Jazz Is Dead series is a treasure trove of gold for lovers of jazz and hip-hop and all the many things that connect those two special genres. It brings totters the old and the new, the established and the emerging on music that never fail to make its mark whether paying tribute the likes of legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen or cult 70s Detroit labels like Tribe, as it has done in the past. For this one we get Instrumentals that seek to capture the musical alchemy produced at the Linear Labs Studio by producers Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Review: oli review