Requisites

Prancin’ ~ Louis Smith Quintet | By Eddie Carter

The Louis Smith Quintet provides this morning’s subject with their 1979 album, Prancin’ (SteepleChase Records SCS 1121). It was Smith’s second release for the label and his fourth as a leader. This session also marks a reunion with Junior Cook, who he played with briefly in The Horace Silver Quintet twenty-one years earlier. Their only recorded appearance together is on Blue Lights, Volumes 1 and 2 by Kenny Burrell. Here, Louis Smith is featured on flugelhorn (tracks: A2, B2) and trumpet (A1, A3, B1, B3), alongside Junior Cook on tenor sax, Roland Hanna on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Billy Hart on drums. My copy is the original Danish Stereo album.

One For Nils, Smith’s first of five originals, is a tune written for producer and label founder Nils Winther. The quintet sets the beat in its opening chorus. Louis gets right to the point first; then Junior comes in with a smooth, relaxed reading. Roland feeds the finale with fresh ideas ahead of the theme’s reprise and exit. Chanson De Louise is Smith’s beautiful tribute to his wife, Harriet Louise. Hanna introduces this ballad softly, leading to a delicately tender theme by Smith and Cook. The leader’s opening solo is affectionate and touching; next, Hanna provides serene beauty to a short statement into the ensemble’s gentle ending.

Ryan’s Groove is dedicated to a friend and fellow teaching colleague and takes off from the quintet’s rousing theme. Junior gets things off to a sizzling start; then Louis slices through the second reading like a hot knife through butter. Roland comes in next, followed by Sam’s brisk bass, leading to the climax. The title tune, Prancin’, starts Side Two with Hanna’s introduction segueing into the group’s lively melody. In the opening solo, Cook immediately gets the listener’s attention; then Smith keeps the temperature up in the following statement. Hanna makes the third solo come alive with a nice, happy feeling. Hart closes with a quick exchange between both horns preceding the finish.

I Can’t Get Started by Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin is one of the timeless jazz standards. Louis is the only horn, and the rhythm section works in perfect symmetry on the opening chorus. The leader’s flugelhorn brings out the song’s lyrical beauty in a gorgeous interpretation that’s the icing on the cake into a gentle conclusion. Fats is Smith’s tribute to trumpeter Theodore “Fats” Navarro. The album’s closer gets off to a good start with the front line’s introduction and melody. Hanna, Cook, Smith, and Jones give four solos that provide a perfect exclamation point to this enjoyable blowing session.

Nils Winther produced Prancin’, and Elvin Campbell was the recording engineer. The album sounds incredible from start to finish. It has a breathtaking soundstage that brings the musicians to your listening room with exceptional clarity. The record is also a great pressing that’s silent until the music starts. Louis was an equally excellent composer, as the tunes here demonstrate. If you’re in the mood for Hard-Bop and Modal Jazz, I offer Prancin’ by The Louis Smith Quintet for your consideration on your next record shopping trip. It’s a terrific album with tight musicianship that hits it out of the park and is an absolute delight!

~ Blue Lights, Volume 1 (Blue Note BLP 1596/BST 81596), Blue Lights, Volume 2 (Blue Note BLP 1597/BST 81597) – Source: Discogs.com
~ I Can’t Get Started – Source: JazzStandards.com
© 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter


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