TOMMY SMITH (Part One) – Trios, Duos & Karma
Tommy Smith must be one of the busiest musicians in jazz. Not content with running his own groups, he also runs his own record label, Spartacus Records, is the director of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and is a member of the stellar trio led by Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen. It was therefore a real bonus to be able to catch up with the saxophonist and to talk to him about his current projects.
We were barely into the New Year when I first broached the subject of an interview for Jazz Views with Tommy and there was already plenty to talk about. By the time this article hits the web pages this most prolific of artists will already have no less than three albums under his belt for 2014.
With such heavy work commitments in both the UK and abroad I was most grateful to Tommy for giving up so much of his valuable time, and as a result this is the first of a three part interview in which Tommy talks about his work with Arild Andersen and Paolo Vinaccia, his duo album with pianist
Brian Kellock and the SNJO’s tour of the United States and Canada that produced the superb American Adventure recording from the SNJO and a coterie of US guests.
We were barely into the New Year when I first broached the subject of an interview for Jazz Views with Tommy and there was already plenty to talk about. By the time this article hits the web pages this most prolific of artists will already have no less than three albums under his belt for 2014.
With such heavy work commitments in both the UK and abroad I was most grateful to Tommy for giving up so much of his valuable time, and as a result this is the first of a three part interview in which Tommy talks about his work with Arild Andersen and Paolo Vinaccia, his duo album with pianist
Brian Kellock and the SNJO’s tour of the United States and Canada that produced the superb American Adventure recording from the SNJO and a coterie of US guests.
January 2014 saw the release of the new Arild Andersen/Paolo Vinaccia/Tommy Smith album Mira
released on ECM (see our CD Reviews or click on the album cover), and follows up the hugely successful set Live at Belleville recorded in 2008, but Smith’s association with the bassist goes back much further. “I first played with Arild in 1985 when we were on board the vast SS Norway, the world’s largest ship at the time, and as part of an exciting international Jazz Festival at sea, in the beautiful turbulent Caribbean. Mega stars like Dizzy Gillespie, Al Cohn, Mel Tome, Dick Hymen, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Doc Cheatham, Ruby Braff, Gary Burton, Makoto Ozone, Benny Carter and many more I can’t recall, were also onboard performing 3 concerts per week. During the 2-week luxury festival, jam sessions were prevalent and much sleep was lost to the waves and inspiring improvisatory encounters, " recalls Smith.
"A few years later, in 1989 I invited Arild to appear on my BBC television show called Jazz Types, where we played our first duet; something I’d had composed especially for our meeting titled, ‘The Painted Word’, which featured Arild’s creativity, glorious sonorous sound, ostinato loops and digital effects. Then in 1990, Arild reciprocated and invited me to the land of the free, Norway, to interact with his fantastic group for a short tour, which I enjoyed immensely. The memory that stands out for me was the incredible stage sound the Norwegians engineer, as well as the calm and relaxed attitude towards touring Arild has.
After that, there was a spell of silence. Then, out of the icy blue fjord, in 2004, we performed at a festival, where we played an entire concert of duets, which was as challenging as it was rewarding. It was after this experience that Arild was commissioned to compose his epic suite ‘Independency’ for Keith McCrae and the Norwegian Consulate in Aberdeen, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the independence and dissolution of the United Kingdoms of Norway and Sweden in 1905. We premiered the new material in 2005, at the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen; a fantastic little pub with a beautifully intelligent audience. After the premiere, we went on to tour the suite throughout England and Scotland.
After a few years of playing as a duo, Arild thought it was time to add another musician to the organisation. It was felt that we needed a creative colourist to paint the rhythmscapes with us; an intrepid adventurer. We needed an explorer who could play any style of music, so we could journey near and far. Italian drummer, Paolo Vinnacia is that true kind of musician; an artist of extraordinary scope and depth.”
In the five or so years since Vinaccia joined Tommy and Arild, the trio have toured extensively and maintained a stable personnel throughout. I suggested to Tommy the benefits of this must be immeasurable in establishing distinctive sound an improvising group such as theirs. “Touring nomadic groups like ours experience many colourful settings and environments throughout their sometimes-short explosive careers and if they’re lucky, the experience rare and grey longevity. Arild, Paolo and I have been extremely privileged to venture to some remarkable and memorable locations and cultures, travelling to France, Argentina, Turkey, North America, Switzerland, Romania, Germany, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, Italy, India, Egypt, England, Nicaragua and my beloved Scotland. What has grown in that time is our friendship, musicality and mutual respect for each other. Our group identity and sound is the same as it was during our first encounter, which was filled with intrepid expectation. When we play together, it always feels like the first time but also the last time.”
The two recordings for ECM are very different; with the obvious difference being that the first album was recorded live whilst Mira is a studio recording. So I ask Tommy if he felt that as a group, did they approach the music differently, and did the studio environment change the dynamics of the band? “Our first album, Live at Belleville recorded 2008, was our first ever performance together and the interplay we experienced during that concert, which we didn’t know at the time, became the essence and backbone of our future focus. It really was an unexpected and welcome outcome for our first encounter as a group. The main reason why we hit it off so creatively was the by-product of listening with our ears, eyes and hearts. We were also not afraid of the unexpected, and not afraid to venture into the dark and into the world of
possibilities or altered realities. So in answer to your question, no, we didn’t change our approach because of the studio environment. We basically set out to make a ballads recording. That was the purpose and the direction Manfred and Arild wanted to explore. We obliged. Arild had written most of the music whilst in France at his place in Nice. The music he composed was for a new tour we were going to play with the recording at the end of the process, so we already had the material go through its metamorphosis before the record button was pressed.”
Renowned for his tenor playing we often overlook the multi-instrumental side to Smith’s work, albeit fairly infrequent. On some of his albums for Linn Records in the nineties he can be heard on soprano saxophone on Azure (with the great Kenny Wheeler) in the ensemble on Misty Morning & No Time, and on a superb solo on ‘Gannett’ from Beasts Of Scotland. As far back as his first LP, Giant Strides as a 16 year old we heard Tommy playing tenor, soprano and flute, and it is the flute like shakuhachi we get to hear on ‘Raijijn’ and ‘Kangiten’ on the new album. “An old friend of mine, Wally Evans, presented it to me as a gift around 1996, and in the instrument box were instructions in Japanese. Obviously, I could not understand any of the beautiful foreign symbols but over many years I eventually taught myself some of the endless possibilities and
still continue to work on learning the exotic instrument today.” Of his soprano playing though, the saxophonist says “Arild likes to hear me play soprano. I personally, don’t think I sound that great, so I rarely, play the instrument. We’ll see what happens in the future. If I fall in love with an instrument I usually take it further and explore its potential.”
In the five or so years since Vinaccia joined Tommy and Arild, the trio have toured extensively and maintained a stable personnel throughout. I suggested to Tommy the benefits of this must be immeasurable in establishing distinctive sound an improvising group such as theirs. “Touring nomadic groups like ours experience many colourful settings and environments throughout their sometimes-short explosive careers and if they’re lucky, the experience rare and grey longevity. Arild, Paolo and I have been extremely privileged to venture to some remarkable and memorable locations and cultures, travelling to France, Argentina, Turkey, North America, Switzerland, Romania, Germany, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, Italy, India, Egypt, England, Nicaragua and my beloved Scotland. What has grown in that time is our friendship, musicality and mutual respect for each other. Our group identity and sound is the same as it was during our first encounter, which was filled with intrepid expectation. When we play together, it always feels like the first time but also the last time.”
The two recordings for ECM are very different; with the obvious difference being that the first album was recorded live whilst Mira is a studio recording. So I ask Tommy if he felt that as a group, did they approach the music differently, and did the studio environment change the dynamics of the band? “Our first album, Live at Belleville recorded 2008, was our first ever performance together and the interplay we experienced during that concert, which we didn’t know at the time, became the essence and backbone of our future focus. It really was an unexpected and welcome outcome for our first encounter as a group. The main reason why we hit it off so creatively was the by-product of listening with our ears, eyes and hearts. We were also not afraid of the unexpected, and not afraid to venture into the dark and into the world of
possibilities or altered realities. So in answer to your question, no, we didn’t change our approach because of the studio environment. We basically set out to make a ballads recording. That was the purpose and the direction Manfred and Arild wanted to explore. We obliged. Arild had written most of the music whilst in France at his place in Nice. The music he composed was for a new tour we were going to play with the recording at the end of the process, so we already had the material go through its metamorphosis before the record button was pressed.”
Renowned for his tenor playing we often overlook the multi-instrumental side to Smith’s work, albeit fairly infrequent. On some of his albums for Linn Records in the nineties he can be heard on soprano saxophone on Azure (with the great Kenny Wheeler) in the ensemble on Misty Morning & No Time, and on a superb solo on ‘Gannett’ from Beasts Of Scotland. As far back as his first LP, Giant Strides as a 16 year old we heard Tommy playing tenor, soprano and flute, and it is the flute like shakuhachi we get to hear on ‘Raijijn’ and ‘Kangiten’ on the new album. “An old friend of mine, Wally Evans, presented it to me as a gift around 1996, and in the instrument box were instructions in Japanese. Obviously, I could not understand any of the beautiful foreign symbols but over many years I eventually taught myself some of the endless possibilities and
still continue to work on learning the exotic instrument today.” Of his soprano playing though, the saxophonist says “Arild likes to hear me play soprano. I personally, don’t think I sound that great, so I rarely, play the instrument. We’ll see what happens in the future. If I fall in love with an instrument I usually take it further and explore its potential.”
Turing our thoughts away from the Trio, Smith has also been continuing his long time association with Brian Kellock, and the duo recorded a new album together. “We’ve recorded a new album called Whispering of the Stars, featuring the great American and European songbook, which will be our third record together, to accompany our previous recordings Bezique and Symbiosis. The new title comes
from a phrase that is a common cliché in the Arctic Circle, which describes the exhalation of air on an icy cold night where the breath turns into sparkling crystals that float off into the air. The tunes we play are: You Must Believe In Spring, Stardust, It Could Happen To You, Ballad Medley (including In A Sentimental Mood, The Peacocks, Sophisticated Lady, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing,
Moonlight In Vermont, Pure Imagination, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Come Sunday, Round Midnight, You Without A Song, & Alfie ) , Warm Valley, The Summer Knows, Moonlight Serenade, When You Wish Upon A Star, You’ve Changed, Taking A Chance On Love, Tenderly, I Apologise and I’m In The Mood For Love.”
With Tommy being so busy touring with Kellock to promote the new recording, touring with Arild Ansdersen and Paolo Vinaccia along with his ongoing and long term commitments with the SNJO, Smith has little time left to lead his own band. In fact, the last few years has seen him perform only and record only intermittently with his own band. There was the Forbidden Fruit album and quartet in 2004 and then nothing until Karma hit like a bolt out of the blue. With its electric bass and keyboards and hard hitting no nonsense approach the band was quite a departure for Smith and came as a bit of a shock to some of his followers. However despite receiving favourable reviews, and picked up his seventh Scottish Jazz Award , it appears that the group may have come to an end. “I don’t think I’ll play or promote Karma again; although, I did work on new music, which we played and added to the repertoire during our last tour. The musicians are wonderful and exceptional. The band was semi-successful, at least in Scotland, where the recording won Best Album of the Year at the Scottish Jazz Awards, but honestly, the group really didn’t take off through the UK, Europe, etc., which is always important for future tours, as there are only a few concerts in Scotland and you always need to expand outwards. I did invest £18,000 into the project but lost some money, which doesn’t really bother me. The band didn’t get going with touring primarily because I didn’t have an established agent with good connections. Additionally, maestro David Liebman said I shouldn’t really pursue that musical direction. He was very disappointed that I recorded that project and said that avenue was a dead end street
musically. I tend to agree with him, as I found the rhythmic structures incredibly difficult to improvise with; although, I did enjoy the global aspect of the music, the colours and dynamic contours.”
In Part Two Tommy Smith takes us on the journey to the United States and Canada with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra with details about the tour and recording American Adventure at Avatar Studios in New York.
from a phrase that is a common cliché in the Arctic Circle, which describes the exhalation of air on an icy cold night where the breath turns into sparkling crystals that float off into the air. The tunes we play are: You Must Believe In Spring, Stardust, It Could Happen To You, Ballad Medley (including In A Sentimental Mood, The Peacocks, Sophisticated Lady, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing,
Moonlight In Vermont, Pure Imagination, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Come Sunday, Round Midnight, You Without A Song, & Alfie ) , Warm Valley, The Summer Knows, Moonlight Serenade, When You Wish Upon A Star, You’ve Changed, Taking A Chance On Love, Tenderly, I Apologise and I’m In The Mood For Love.”
With Tommy being so busy touring with Kellock to promote the new recording, touring with Arild Ansdersen and Paolo Vinaccia along with his ongoing and long term commitments with the SNJO, Smith has little time left to lead his own band. In fact, the last few years has seen him perform only and record only intermittently with his own band. There was the Forbidden Fruit album and quartet in 2004 and then nothing until Karma hit like a bolt out of the blue. With its electric bass and keyboards and hard hitting no nonsense approach the band was quite a departure for Smith and came as a bit of a shock to some of his followers. However despite receiving favourable reviews, and picked up his seventh Scottish Jazz Award , it appears that the group may have come to an end. “I don’t think I’ll play or promote Karma again; although, I did work on new music, which we played and added to the repertoire during our last tour. The musicians are wonderful and exceptional. The band was semi-successful, at least in Scotland, where the recording won Best Album of the Year at the Scottish Jazz Awards, but honestly, the group really didn’t take off through the UK, Europe, etc., which is always important for future tours, as there are only a few concerts in Scotland and you always need to expand outwards. I did invest £18,000 into the project but lost some money, which doesn’t really bother me. The band didn’t get going with touring primarily because I didn’t have an established agent with good connections. Additionally, maestro David Liebman said I shouldn’t really pursue that musical direction. He was very disappointed that I recorded that project and said that avenue was a dead end street
musically. I tend to agree with him, as I found the rhythmic structures incredibly difficult to improvise with; although, I did enjoy the global aspect of the music, the colours and dynamic contours.”
In Part Two Tommy Smith takes us on the journey to the United States and Canada with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra with details about the tour and recording American Adventure at Avatar Studios in New York.
For more information visit
www.tommy-smith.co.uk www.arildandersen.com www.ecmrecords.com To purchase Tommy’s albums visit spartacusrecords.com |