Reflections of a Golden Dream

by Lonnie Liston Smith, Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes

Overview

Reflections of a Golden Dream is the last LP Lonnie Liston Smith cut for Flying Dutchman and it's hard not to see the record as an aural manifestation of the label's shifting fortunes. As the jazz marketplace shifted during the '70s, the label had its financial hand forced and they needed to abandon their esoteric ways for something that was a bit more commercial. Of all their artists, Smith was the best positioned to do this because he already struck upon a blend of the spiritual and funk with 1975's Expansions. Released a year later, Reflections of a Golden Dream tips the scales a bit closer to funk, opening up with a Sly Stone workout called "Get Down Everybody (It's Time for World Peace)," a cut where Lonnie takes a rare vocal lead. After this, Reflections starts to seem as meditative as its title, achieving a kind of elegant spiritual suspension while also feeling as fleet and slick as satin. The only other time Smith returns to flat-out funk is on "Beautiful Woman," a late-night groove that kicks off side two, and while the rest of the record contains many period accouterments -- sustained strings, electric pianos, deep echoes -- the essence of the record is indeed meditative. Perhaps these are polyester paisley dreams but that doesn't make them any less real or affecting. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/02/2023
Label:	Beat Goes Public
UPC:	0029667015615
Rank:	38488

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lonnie Liston Smith   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Director,Piano (Electric)
Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes   Primary Artist
Patti Austin   Choir/Chorus
Jon Faddis   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Joe Shepley   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Leopoldo Fleming   Congas,Guitar,Vocals,Percussion
Vivian Cherry   Choir/Chorus
Wilby Fletcher   Drums
Maeretha Stewart   Choir/Chorus
Guilherme Franco   Percussion
Donald Smith   Flute,Vocals
Arthur Kaplan   Sax (Baritone)
Al Anderson   Bass
George Opalisky   Sax (Tenor)
David Hubbard   Flute,Saxophone,Sax (Soprano)

Technical Credits

Bob Thiele   Producer
Dean Rudland   Liner Notes,Coordination
Lonnie Liston Smith   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Coloration,Liner Notes
Leopoldo Fleming   Composer
Horace Ott   Arranger
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Alan Varner   Mixing,Engineer
Bob Chiaramonte   Engineer
Nick Sangiamo   Photography
Jack Martin   Cover Art
Acy Lehman   Art Direction
Jaffa   Package Design