Uploaded January 2010 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Donald Smith - Mystic Man (Track 1, 'Luv', 1976)
Donald Smith (piano) Cecil McBee (bass) Jack de Johnette (drums)
Donald Smith is (correct me if I'm wrong on this) the brother of Lonnie Liston Smith, and appeared on Lonnie's album 'Expansions', singing and playing the flute. 'Luv', from 1976, appears to be his only recording as a leader, though in recent years he has appeared on an album by tenor saxophonist Salim Washington (cimprecords.com/albums/?album=786497571420). (There's also footage, available on youtube, of him playing in Washington's group; this includes a version of Pharoah Sanders' 'The Creator has a Master Plan'). 'Luv' is very different to what one might expect from Smith's appearance in his brother's band; there's not a synthesizer or fusion lick in sight. Instead, this is predominantly modal jazz, with Smith playing some spicy dissonances in the heads (check out in particular the ballad called 'Stillness'), Tyner-style power chords, and frenetic free runs. McBee and Johnette are, as one might expect, a sensitive 'rhythm section' (this is a very co-operative date, with plenty of room for everyone to solo and interact). At times they can be wonderfully delicate (the punctuated silence in the latter part of 'Mystic Man'), at others forceful and rhythmically compelling without being overbearing (the Latin groove of 'Nameless'). I'm going to post the album in its entirety here, as its out of print, and I think it's music that needs exposing. Hopefully this might draw more attention to Smith's music, and we'll hear more from him in the future.
Donald Smith - Mystic Man (Track 1, 'Luv', 1976)
Donald Smith (piano) Cecil McBee (bass) Jack de Johnette (drums)
Donald Smith is (correct me if I'm wrong on this) the brother of Lonnie Liston Smith, and appeared on Lonnie's album 'Expansions', singing and playing the flute. 'Luv', from 1976, appears to be his only recording as a leader, though in recent years he has appeared on an album by tenor saxophonist Salim Washington (cimprecords.com/albums/?album=786497571420). (There's also footage, available on youtube, of him playing in Washington's group; this includes a version of Pharoah Sanders' 'The Creator has a Master Plan'). 'Luv' is very different to what one might expect from Smith's appearance in his brother's band; there's not a synthesizer or fusion lick in sight. Instead, this is predominantly modal jazz, with Smith playing some spicy dissonances in the heads (check out in particular the ballad called 'Stillness'), Tyner-style power chords, and frenetic free runs. McBee and Johnette are, as one might expect, a sensitive 'rhythm section' (this is a very co-operative date, with plenty of room for everyone to solo and interact). At times they can be wonderfully delicate (the punctuated silence in the latter part of 'Mystic Man'), at others forceful and rhythmically compelling without being overbearing (the Latin groove of 'Nameless'). I'm going to post the album in its entirety here, as its out of print, and I think it's music that needs exposing. Hopefully this might draw more attention to Smith's music, and we'll hear more from him in the future.
