Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – ‘Visions Of A New World’ album review: A jazz-funk gem from the 1970s, reissued for a new world
Take it from a music journalist: there is far too much music being released every week for any singular human to keep on top of… In that weekly avalanche, it is easy for masterpieces to become lost, meaning the past is still awash with undiscovered and underappreciated gems being buried by modernity. Jazz-funk gem Visions Of A New World is one such album.
The Skinny: Originally released in the summer of 1975, over half a century ago, Visions Of A New World was the fourth LP to be released by jazz hero and funk visionary Lonnie Liston Smith, during his ‘Cosmic Echoes’ period, in which he explored the cosmic, astral-travelling inspiration of jazz-funk. It was the cult Flying Dutchman label that was responsible for the album in its day, but a combination of its innovative nature and under-promotion meant that Smith’s record joined the expanding hordes of underappreciated records being released by the now-beloved jazz label.
Fortunately, the benefit of being far too “ahead-of-your-time” is that music obsessives inevitably rediscover you at some point, and Visions Of A New World has rightly been reappraised in the many years since its initial release.
With Smith’s spaced-out piano playing evoking a far-out sound, somewhere on the spectrum between Roland Kovac’s Trip to the Mars and the spiritual jazz mastery of Pharaoh Sanders – who incidentally features on ‘Colors of the Rainbow’, the stand-out track from the album – the LP is a triumph of mid-1970s jazz-funk innovation.
Hence why the tireless music obsessives behind Ace Records have sought to reissue the album in the 21st century, in glorious stereo sound with a beautiful gatefold befitting the journey Smith’s record takes listeners on.
Ace have been responsible for a multitude of Flying Dutchman reissues in recent years, and given their clear respect and debt to that era of music, fans can rest assured that the label treats Visions Of A New World with the utmost respect and reverence.
Reissues are by no means a novel idea, routinely outnumbering the fresh contemporary releases week after week. However, bringing an album like Visions Of A New World back into the fold is far more important than, for instance, spluttering out yet another version of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Original copies of Smith’s 1975 masterpiece are incredibly scarce in 2026, and you would struggle to find a copy in decent condition for less than £100.
So, with Ace’s reissues, this era-defining, jazz-funk innovation is accessible to ordinary audiences once again, and Lonnie Liston Smith’s far-out stylings are able to be washed over listeners at a much more competitive price.
Standout Track: ‘Colors of the Rainbow’
The Verdict: Jazz-funk aficionados will already be well aware of the transformative nature of Visions Of A New World, but with this new reissue, Flying Dutchman and Ace Records bring his often overlooked genius into the fold of modernity, providing the perfect album for summer listening, spaced-out sessions, and intergalactic exploration, which still sounds like the future, despite being released over 50 years ago.
Reissue Date: June 24th, 2026 | Producers: Bob Thiele and Lonnie Liston Smith | Label: Flying Dutchman and Ace Records
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.