Another new live Johnny Smith release - Jazz in the Springs

[noober]

Another new release from the family of Dick Patterson, who played with JS in his Colorado days. Came out today. Haven’t given it a listen yet but will be putting it on soon.

Jazz in the Springs | Johnny Smith with the Neil Bridge Trio | Dick Patterson

Jazz in the Springs (Live) - YouTube

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[wintermoon]

Thanks for the post/link.
I just listened to On Green Dolphin Street
Are you bleepin' kidding me??

[AllanAllen]

I think this is better than the last one!

[sgcim]

I think this is better than the last one!

Better sound, even playing!

[sgcim]

Thanks for the post/link.
I just listened to On Green Dolphin Street
Are you bleepin' kidding me??

He's playing lines from the Foursome albums, and they sound even better here!
I don't understand how people can take someone like Bill Frisell seriously, when you compare his version of Shenandoah to JS. BF sounds like he's playing a Mel Bay arrangement compared to JS.
I guess he was kidding when he said they didn't like SCRHYUTM, but I was disappointed he didn't play the verse.
Just unbelievable, I still can't believe these tapes exist.

[SandChannel]

I don't understand how people can take someone like Bill Frisell seriously, when you compare his version of Shenandoah to JS.

You can enjoy both of them equally. I do.

[sgcim]

You can enjoy both of them equally. I do.

NC.

[SandChannel]

NC.

Probably would have been better had you done that at the start.

[ruger9]

I don't understand how people can take someone like Bill Frisell seriously, when you compare his version of Shenandoah to JS. BF sounds like he's playing a .

I agree. Nothing "against" BF, but JS' version... wow.

[AllanAllen]

He's playing lines from the Foursome albums, and they sound even better here!

What albums?

[sgcim]

What albums?

The Roost recordings he made back in the 50s "The Johnny Smith Foursome I and II", when I thought he was at the top of his game, just before he had the accident in the airplane that hurt his finger.
But from the sound of his live playing on these new recordings, the guy was always at the 'top of his game'..LOL!

[sgcim]

Probably would have been better had you done that at the start.

LOL! I couldn't resist.

[Cunamara]

I have the Schraner's recording that was released previously, this indeed is much better recorded. And the playing is superb. Thanks for posting this! It makes me very happy to be able to hear recordings of Johnny in live performance. I hope there are still more to come!

[ruger9]

Wow, listened to this whole thing last night driving to & from rehearsal. Fantastic. I love the guitar tone on it: for a live recording, it was done quite well I think. Going to be listening to this one ALOT this fall/winter.

Every once in awhile JS will take off and I'll think "Yngwie WHO?" lol

[jmgalich]

Better sound, even playing!

I agree. JS was on fire at this concert. He did things I never thought I would hear him play, especially that closing section of One O'clock Jump.

Comparing his playing in this concert with his playing on the 1971 Shaner's date (or really anything after that) raised a question in my mind: why did his style change?

It seems that in his later years, say the 1971 Shaner's date, his playing became more scalar/arpeggiatic (I might have created a word) vs. melodic/inventive. I could very well be wrong, but I often thought that his later playing approach was the result of his severing the tip of his finger in the airplane seat. My theory is that after he had it reattached, he had to practice get back to his previous level. He practiced scales and arpeggios and never got out of the rut. Just a thought.

Anyway, I know there are still more recordings to be released. I can't wait for the next one!

John Galich

[jmgalich]

The Roost recordings he made back in the 50s "The Johnny Smith Foursome I and II", when I thought he was at the top of his game, just before he had the accident in the airplane that hurt his finger.
But from the sound of his live playing on these new recordings, the guy was always at the 'top of his game'..LOL!

I thought the airplane accident occurred in the mid-to-late 1960s when he had a side gig as a flight instructor in Colorado Springs. The Van Damme recording was in 1962 or 1963 and had some really great playing, and I believe it happened after that.

John Galich

[AndyV]

This stuff is just fantastic! Shenandoah is gorgeous; impeccable. Green Dolphin Street? Holy cow!

[sgcim]

I thought the airplane accident occurred in the mid-to-late 1960s when he had a side gig as a flight instructor in Colorado Springs. The Van Damme recording was in 1962 or 1963 and had some really great playing, and I believe it happened after that.

John Galich

You're probably right.. Somehow, I convinced myself that it was around the time of The Man With the Blue Guitar. That was pre-internet days and nobody knew anything back then.

[Dennis D]

Thanks for the post/link.
I just listened to On Green Dolphin Street
Are you bleepin' kidding me??

My first reaction, after Wow, was who's this trio and why aren't they asleep like the usual JS sidemen ? So I just had to check the personnel on 2 of the Verve albums - Hank Jones, George Duvivier, Don Lamond - no slouches at all- - - but these guys just 'cooked' and didn't hold back, kept up with JS, and he stayed with them......Maybe that was intentional, to have the usual guys keep up but lay back......

???

[Cunamara]

Well, the first two Verve albums were "produced" in that the label leaned on Johnny to record certain songs, e.g., Exodus and Light My Fire, whereas with Roost he could pick his own musical programs. Between that and not getting paid by Verve for years, he stopped recording.

[AllanAllen]

I agree. JS was on fire at this concert. He did things I never thought I would hear him play, especially that closing section of One O'clock Jump.

Comparing his playing in this concert with his playing on the 1971 Shaner's date (or really anything after that) raised a question in my mind: why did his style change?

It seems that in his later years, say the 1971 Shaner's date, his playing became more scalar/arpeggiatic (I might have created a word) vs. melodic/inventive. I could very well be wrong, but I often thought that his later playing approach was the result of his severing the tip of his finger in the airplane seat. My theory is that after he had it reattached, he had to practice get back to his previous level. He practiced scales and arpeggios and never got out of the rut. Just a thought.

Anyway, I know there are still more recordings to be released. I can't wait for the next one!

John Galich

He said in that one hour long interview on youtube, after he left New York he wasn't as interested in keeping up his chops, it was too much work. I could see that, I think he also had to raise his kids on his own, there's no time for 6 hours of practice and regular gigging with little ones at home.

It takes personal sacrifice to make art and everybody breaks at some point.