Tommy Smith


Misty Morning and No Time

The poetry of one of Scotland's contemporary poets, Norman McCraig, is the basis for saxophonist/composer Tommy Smith's latest release. After listening to it, it is hard to resist a temptation to want to check out McCraig's work to see how exactly it will affect me, such is the emotive punch that this CD packs. If you like your jazz on the softer side, then this is definitely for you. There are some brilliant saxophone solos, and some of the pieces are complex, intricate, and highly dynamic (in terms of changing time signatures and the overall mood). This is one album that will not satisfy you after the first listen, and you will have to go back to it many times to fully wallow in its musical richness (that sounds pretty trite, I know, but I'm being honest). Backing Smith in this release are Terje Gewelt on bass, Ian Froman and drums, Steve Hamilton on piano, Guy Parker on trumpet, and Julian Arguelles also on saxophone. Favourite tracks are Intrusion, Dipper, Sounds of the Day, and the title track.


Music ram-blings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org