Tags
Language
Tags
March 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
25 26 27 28 29 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

Johnny Smith & Stan Getz - Moonlight in Vermont (1956)

Posted By: DjangoTiger
Johnny Smith & Stan Getz - Moonlight in Vermont (1956)

Johnny Smith & Stan Getz - Moonlight in Vermont (1956)
MP3 CBR 320 kbps | 19 Tracks | 52:11 | 126 MB
Genre: Jazz, Swing | Label: Blue Note / Roulette Records

Moonlight in Vermont is a 1956 album by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, featuring tenor saxophonist Stan Getz. Titled for Smith’s breakthrough hit song, it was the No.1 Jazz Album for 1956. It was popularly and critically well received and has come to be regarded as an important album in Smith’s discography, in the cool jazz genre and in the evolution of jazz guitar. Notable songs on the album, which reveal the influence of Smith’s experiences with the NBC Studio Orchestra, and as a multi-instrument musician, include the title track and the original composition “Jaguar”. The title track, singled out for its virtuosity, was a highly influential rendition of a jazz standard that secured Smith’s position in the public eye.

Originally released on Roost Records, the album was reissued in significantly expanded form by Roulette Records in 1994, with more material including a previously unreleased version of “Jaguar”.

Most notable among the album’s songs is the title track, “Moonlight in Vermont“, a rendition of a John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf standard. According to Getz biographer Dave Gelly, the song became an “unexpected hit”, an unusual occurrence in jazz music,[9]remaining on the charts for months. It was for this rendition that Smith earned the title “King of Cool Jazz Guitar”. “Moonlight in Vermont” was Smith’s breakthrough song, launching him into public awareness. It also increased the profile of Getz and resulted in his receiving a contract from renowned jazz producer Norman Granz. Contrary to popular belief, it was the 1952 release of the single, rather than the 1956 release of the compilation album, which was Down Beat magazine’s number two record of the year.

The song is noted for its guitar virtuosity. The New York Times noted that Smith’s arpeggio on the song “went from the lowest to the highest reaches of the guitar, all in one fluid movement”. Echo and Twang characterized it as “complete with Smith’s clear, reverb-tinged sound, his fleet-fingered but relaxed three-octave runs, and above all his lush, close-voiced, chord melody style”. Guitar World described it as “a perfect illustration of [Smith’s] mastery of the guitar’s subtle inner-string voicings”.

According to Guitar World, the rendition was influential, becoming “the template for every guitarist to come”. Smith’s performance of the song was a favorite of guitarist Eddie Cochran and first turned Herbie Hancock on to jazz. James Sallis indicates that “[t]he mood of this ballad has never been more subtly captured”.

Also of note on the track list is the song “Jaguar”, described by Guitar World as Smith’s “signature song”.The book Masters of Guitar singles out the “up-tempo Smith original” as among the album’s “many gems”. Several other tracks were singled out in The Electric Guitar: A History of an American Icon, by A. J. Millard, who theorized that Smith’s playing style was influenced by his history as a trumpeter and his experiences in the NBC Studio Orchestra, which required extensive sight reading. According to Millard, in “Moonlight in Vermont” and “Tenderly“, Smith’s chord melodies resemble piano, while in “Sometimes I’m Happy” and “Tabú” the guitar becomes hornlike at midrange, with the electric guitar resembling a saxophone overall.

Tracklist:

1. "Where or When" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 2:24
2. "Tabú" (Margarita Lecuona, Sidney Keith Russell, Al Stillman) – 2:40
3. "Moonlight in Vermont" (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) – 3:12
4. "Jaguar" (Johnny Smith) – 2:28
5. "Jaguar"* (alternate take) (Smith) – 2:28
6. "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" (Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 3:08
7. "Vilia" (Franz Lehar) – 2:40
8. "My Funny Valentine"* (Hart, Rodgers) – 2:37
9. "Sometimes I'm Happy"* (Irving Caesar, Clifford Grey, Vincent Youmans) – 2:18
10. "Stars Fell on Alabama" (Mitchell Parish, Frank Perkins) – 3:03
11. "Nice Work If You Can Get It"* (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:24
12. "Tenderly" (Walter Lloyd Gross, Jack Lawrence) – 3:24
13. "Cavu" (Smith) – 2:12
14. "I'll Be Around" (Alec Wilder) – 2:44
15. "Yesterdays" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) – 2:50
16. "Cherokee" (Ray Noble) – 2:46
17. "What's New?"* (Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart) – 3:04
18. "I'll Remember April"* (Gene De Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) – 2:46
19. "Lullaby of Birdland"* (George Shearing, David Weiss) – 3:03

Musicians:

Bob Carter – bass
Morey Feld – drums
Arnold Fishkind – bass
Stan Getz – tenor saxophone
Sanford Gold – piano
Don Lamond – drums
Johnny Smith – guitar
Eddie Safranski – bass