Light a "J" and listen to Astral Traveling
Peter E. Johansen | 03/19/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although I completely respect them as musicians, I've never been a fan of Weather Report or Mahavishnu Orchestra. Fusion is a tricky genre for me, and I was quite reluctant to purchase Astral Traveling based on what I could gather about the music by the cover. However, I do like Lonnie Liston Smith's playing with Pharoah Sanders (as well as Miles Davis), so I decided to take a chance on this disc. Well, let me say this exceeded all expectations. This might be fusion in a sense - there are points where I am reminded of the minimalist beauty of In a Silent Way - but this is also music in the spirit of John Coltrane. The percussionists and Indian musicans really compliment what Smith is doing, but it is the beauty of his compositions that comes through the most for me. These compositions are beautifully realized by Lonnie Liston Smith's less-is-more playing and also through the emotional soprano and tenor sax work of George Barron. I have never heard of this guy, George Barron, and Allmusic has no biographical information about him and only a couple credits, but his playing on this album is intense and unique and varies from ultra-mellow to some fairly dissonant moments.
Oh, and in the liner notes Nat Hentoff writes, "Put this album on, raise the volume, and you're guaranteed a most fulfilling, natural music high." This might be true about the natural music high, but I can see another kind of natural high doing a lot for this music too. In a good way."
Classic
William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 12/21/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"By the early 1970s, jazz needed some chill. Free, fussion, all the social and musical upevil that rock jazz, along with America, in the 60s was just making everything too raw.
Enter Lonnie Liston Smith. He may have used an electric keybord, but he sure was not Keith Jarret or Joe Ziwinal. Smith used the keys to create mellow, shimmering blankets of notes. Nice dreams.
These were so textured and layered and colorful, soloists could blow in them however they liked--it was modal jazz without any of the drive.
Of course, great musicans pick up on the nuances the music begs for, and so the solos in Smiths music are light as a feather, or Smiths touch on the keyboards. You almost get the sense everyone is playing half awake--not that the playing is not outstanding, but like us, the band is lured into that nice little drift we all long for.
This is mood music, but also has a lot of subtance. The layering, and there is a lot, creates texture and weight, we are never at a loss as this music shifts with new sounds each listen.
Enjoy. Go to sleep my baby. Enjoy."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1