Requisites

Louis Smith steps into the spotlight for this morning’s discussion with his second 1958 record for Blue Note following Here Comes Louis Smith. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he began playing the trumpet as a teenager and his first recording was Swingin’ by Kenny Burrell, a 1980 Japanese album combining three sessions in 1956, 1958, and 1959. Smith took a job as a music director of Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Georgia rather than becoming a full-time musician. After leaving school, he became the Director of the Jazz Ensemble at the University of Michigan and a teacher in Ann Arbor.  Louis was also an excellent composer. On Smithville (Blue Note BLP 1594), he’s working with an elite quartet, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Sonny Clark on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The LP used in this report is a friend’s copy of the 2010 Music Matters Jazz 45-rpm Mono reissue (MMBLP-1594).

Record One starts with us arriving at Smithville, a slow-tempo blues by Louis inhabiting the first side. Everyone takes it easy from the introduction by Paul and Louis into a laid-back ensemble opening chorus. Charlie opens with a casualness and relaxed attitude on the lead solo. Louis takes over for a mellow, very personal presentation, then Sonny wraps up the song with a delightful showcase that’s handsomely constructed. Wetu, also by Smith occupies Side Two, commencing with the tempo way up and the quintet playing like the wind on the melody. Rouse takes off first with exhilarating speed. Smith also travels fast on the next interpretation. Taylor sets up a ferocious beat for Clark’s fingers to fly fiercely over the keys in an incandescent performance, and Chambers is especially productive on the final spot ahead of the ending theme.

Record Two begins with Embraceable You by George and Ira Gershwin. Louis is the main horn here and approaches the melody and opening statement with a softer voice, summoning affectionate warmth from his trumpet. Sonny shows his sentimental side on a hauntingly beautiful interpretation before Louis and Charlie connect on a pleasantly sweet reprise and climax. There Will Never Be Another You by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon was first heard in the 1942 film, Iceland. It opens with a brief introduction by Clark preceding an invigorating theme. Rouse opens the lead solo swinging immensely, then takes the next chorus one octave higher. Smith unwinds a lively series of scintillating choruses.  Clark responds to both horns with enthusiastic virtuosity. Chambers steps into the spotlight last with strong, bass lines soaring back to the soft conclusion.

The finale is Later, a quick original by the leader flying at a speedy clip.  Louis meets the challenge with a skyrocketing first solo. Charlie comes next with an adrenaline-charged reading. Sonny follows with a high-voltage power supply.  Art brings the song home with some dynamic drumming into the quintet’s cooking reprise and sudden stop ending. If you’ve read any of the other MMJ reissues I’ve discussed, you already know the quality and care that goes into each title is well-known among audiophiles and jazz lovers. For those who haven’t heard them before, they’re mastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram audiophile vinyl at RTI (Record Technology Incorporated) in Camarillo, California. Inside the gatefold are extremely beautiful photos from the session by Francis Woolf that could be proudly displayed on your listening room wall.

After listening to both records, I pulled out my 1991 Toshiba-EMI Limited Japanese 33 1/3 Mono reissue to compare the sound with the MMJ LP. The Toshiba reissue has an exceptional soundstage throughout the highs, midrange, and low end. The instruments come to life through your speakers as if you’re at Mr. Van Gelder’s home alongside the musicians during the recording. However, the sound quality of the MMJ Mono reissue is significantly elevated with superb mastering that’s very detailed making an already great-sounding album, that much better. I listened intently to both reissues becoming completely engrossed in the music and while my system isn’t high-end, it still made an enduring impression, and I could hear the difference.

It would be another thirty-seven years before Louis Smith returned to the studio to record an album as a leader. In 2006, Louis suffered a stroke ending his professional career, but he continued to enjoy live jazz in the Detroit-Ann Arbor area until his passing on August 20, 2016, at age eighty-five. To me, Smithville is a shining example of first-rate, no-frills Hard-Bop capturing the driving energy of the musicians at their best. On your next search for vinyl treasure, I invite you to take a trip to Smithville. There you will find an outstanding session of amazing music by Louis Smith that’s highly recommended for your library!

~Here Comes Louis Smith (Blue Note BLP 1584), Smithville (Blue Note BLP 1594-BN 1594), Swingin’ (Blue Note GXF 3070) – Source: Discogs.com
~Embraceable You, There Will Never Be Another You – Source: JazzStandards.com
~Booker Little, Louis Smith – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2021 by Edward Thomas Carter

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