Johnny Smith • Johnny Smith And His New Quartet

Review by Dave Nathan

Before he threw in the towel and willingly walked away from the clutches of the recording industry in 1960, Johnny Smith recorded an impressive roster of albums for Teddy Reig's Roost label. One of these, The New Johnny Smith Quartet, recorded in 1956, was billed as maiden set for Smith's new, small group. That was almost correct. This was the first time around for vibes player Johnny Rae and drummer John Lee. But bass player George Roumanis had already recorded with Smith. Prior to his Smith tenure, Rae was instrumental in shaping the distinctive George Shearing Quintet sound. This bandleader was especially well known for tasteful playing, the clean quality of his sound, and his skillful voicing of melody with chords. And this album does nothing to detract from that reputation. Even on the up-tempo pieces like "Pawn Ticket" and "'S Wonderful" Smith's technique remains clean without slurring. His playing also can take on classical overtones, like on "Montage" and "It Never Entered My Mind." Smith was not a stranger to the classical genre. His last minute abduction by conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos to play solo guitar on Arnold Schoenberg's "Serenade" is one of music's legends. On the slower numbers this quartet resembles the stentorian sounds of the Modern Jazz Quartet at times. Johnny Smith left behind about 25 LPs with the Roost label. A great project for Mosaic Records would be to get a license for these albums for one of their excellent compilations, this time featuring the fine guitar of Johnny Smith.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-new-johnny-smith-quartet-mw0000873891

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Reseña de Dave Nathan

Antes de tirar la toalla y alejarse voluntariamente de las garras de la industria discográfica en 1960, Johnny Smith grabó una impresionante lista de álbumes para el sello Roost de Teddy Reig. Uno de ellos, The New Johnny Smith Quartet, grabado en 1956, se convirtió en el primer set del nuevo y pequeño grupo de Smith. Eso fue casi correcto. Esta fue la primera vez para el vibráfono Johnny Rae y el baterista John Lee. Pero el bajista George Roumanis ya había grabado con Smith. Antes de su permanencia en el cargo de Smith, Rae desempeñó un papel decisivo en la formación del distintivo sonido del Quinteto George Shearing. Este director de orquesta era especialmente conocido por su buen gusto al tocar, la calidad de su sonido y su hábil voz de melodía con acordes. Y este álbum no hace nada para restarle valor a esa reputación. Incluso en las piezas de ritmo rápido como "Pawn Ticket" y "S Wonderful", la técnica de Smith se mantiene limpia y sin problemas. Su interpretación también puede tener matices clásicos, como en "Montage" y "It Never Entered My Mind". Smith no era un extraño al género clásico. Su secuestro de última hora por el director Dimitri Mitropoulos para tocar la guitarra sola en la "Serenata" de Arnold Schoenberg es una de las leyendas de la música. En los números más lentos, este cuarteto se asemeja a los sonidos estentóreos del Modern Jazz Quartet a veces. Johnny Smith dejó unos 25 LPs con la etiqueta Roost. Un gran proyecto para Mosaic Records sería conseguir una licencia para estos álbumes para una de sus excelentes compilaciones, esta vez con la fina guitarra de Johnny Smith.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-new-johnny-smith-quartet-mw0000873891

Tracklist
1 It Never Entered My Mind
2 Samba
3 Black Is The Colour Of My True Loves Hair
4 awn Ticket
5 'S Wonderful
6 You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
7 Blue Lights
8 Montage
9 Bag's Groove
10 Round About Midnight

Recording Date: September 29, 1956
Label: Roost ‎– LP 2216, Royal Roost ‎– LP 2216
Released: 1956
Genre: Jazz
Style: Cool Jazz

Credits:
Bass – George Roumanis
Cover – Chuck Stewart
Drums – John Lee
Guitar – Johnny Smith
Vibraphone – Johnny Rae





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