One of the most heralded jazz musicians will be playing in Camden for one night only.

Lonnie Liston Smith has been dishing out aural pleasure for more than 40 years and at 72-years-young he shows no sings of hanging up his instruments just yet.

Best known as keyboardist Lonnie began performing in the Baltimore area where he became adept at backing vocalists such as Ethel Ennis and visiting dignitaries like Betty Carter.

He began performing with his peers Gary Bartz (alto saxophonist), Grachan Moncur (trombonist), and Mickey Bass (on upright bass) while studying at Morgan State University before moving to New York City and collaborating with vocalists such as Betty Carter and Joe Williams.

In 968 he received a call from Pharaoh Sanders inviting him to join his group which would tallow him to make his mark in one of the most visible ensembles of the day.

In 1973 was invited to join the Miles Davis ensemble where he recorded two albums “On The Corner” and “Big Fun”.

The following year he signed a solo recording contract resulting in his albums “Astral Traveling” and “Cosmic Funk” but it “Expansions” that broke Lonnie into the major leagues as a worldwide leader.

He tapped into a new generation in the 1990s by getting involved with “Guru Jazzmataz Volume One” (Rap meets Jazz).

Today’s RnB artists continue to pay homage to Lonnie by sampling his music in their work.

Mary J. Blige sampled Lonnie’s composition “A Garden of Peace” in her Grammy winning single, “Take Me As I Am” and Jay - Z also sampled, “A Garden of Peace” in his hit sample, “Dead Presidents”.

Lonnie Liston Smith and The New Cosmic Echoes plus special guests will be performing at the Jazz Café in Parkway, Camden, on August 24.

For more information and to buy tickets visit http://mamacolive.com/thejazzcafe/