Search - Lonnie Smith;George Benson;Joe Lovano :: Afrodesia

Killin' players, killin' music, killin' price.

An opinionated Jazz Fan | Chicago | 12/27/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This one amazes me. Joe Lovano, George Benson (playing straight ahead) and Lonnie Smith, and no one knows about it. You can find this one anywhere [affordably], and it's worth its weight in gold. It swings, it brings the funk, and the solos are simply amazing. This was my single greatest find of Y2K. Buy it while you can. Period."

Which Lonnie Smith? This ain't the AFRODESIA I know...

Sambson | North Carolina | 04/06/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This IS NOT the original AFRODESIA album from 1975! There's enough trouble with people keeping Lonnie (Liston) Smith (aka; the cosmic one) and (Dr.) Lonnie Smith separate without this mess. The original AFRODESIA was issued in 1975 on the fantastically funky Groove Merchant label. The program was:



**1. Afrodesia

2. Spirits Free

3. Straight To The Point

**4. Flavors

5. The Awakening



Greg Hopkins (tp)

Joe Lovano (ts & as)

Lonnie Smith (org, key)

Ron Carter (el-b)

Ralphe Armstrong (el-b)

Ben Riley (d)

Jamey Huddad (d & perc)

"Guitar Compliments Of A Friend" aka; George Benson (g)

Sonny Lester (producer)

Recorded in NYC; 1975

**(these are the only two titles from the original on this compilation)



It used to be that one of the clues when looking at an anonyomous Lonnie Smith album, was to check for cosmic titles to see if you had the 'cosmic' Lonnie Liston Smith; note above: "Spirits Free" & "The Awakening." What is now being marketed for 'cheap' as AFRODESIA is apparently a compilation of several L.L. Smith albums from the mid-70s. I don't have originals of all this material, but hopefully this is not a compilation of the two different Smith's on the same disc! The drastic difference is styles on this AFRODESIA compilation could possible indicate as much. That's what you get for 'cheap'; uninformative liner notes. If you google images for "Lonnie Smith Afrodesia," the first album image that appears, involving a painting of a man in a bushman's hat over a sideways lion's face, is the original 1975 Groove Merchant cover. Someone needs to buy up the old Groove Merchant catalog & issue it in a deluxe format; then this Lonnie Smith mess might begin to get straightened out. I hope this enlightens the situation a bit. Eschew obstifucation."

The price makes it right.

D. L. Adger | Philadelphia | 03/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hopefully this is is not your first sample of Mr. Smith's incredible skills on the keys. Having many other choices for the palatte, I'd reccomend his earlier works as a start. If this is your introductory taste, then you're probably unsure of where to place the priority in your future purchases of Lonnie's music. Afrodesia was not my initial introduction, but was my first purchase of his, and I was unsure exactly what to think. On one hand you've got the tremendous lineup including Joe Lovano, and George Benson which did manage to produce the albums finest tracks (the opener Apex is a burner) But on the other hand, Smith's forays into the realm of funk jazz (which was in full bloom at the time of this recording) competing with the likes of Donald Byrd, Chick Corea, and Gil Scott-Heron are maddingly mediocre and in a few instances cause for the skip button. The album's price, well under $10 brand new make this purchase a redeeeming one. But for full satisfaction, speak to an expert (which I'm not!) on his catalog and dig a little deeper into your pockets for a more fulfilling treat."