COMPOSERS: Tommy Smith Sextet
LABELS: CD BLT
PERFORMER: Tommy Smith Sextet
CATALOGUE NO: 1005
A very fine album, full of creative surprises. All 12 pieces were composed by Smith, whose writing is most accomplished, and the sextet is a brilliant unit made up of some key younger players from the London scene.
The rhythm section of Jason Rebello (piano), Mick Hutton (double bass) and Jeremy Stacey (drums), has dynamism and unerring good taste, and Guy Barker (trumpet) and Julian Arguelles (alto and soprano saxes) play some memorable solos.
Smith's tone, on tenor, tends to be hard and lack emotional resonance in fast modal performances, but he is superb in ballads and medium tempo pieces.