A Tribute to Stuff Smith

A Tribute to Stuff Smith
Studio album by
Billy Bang
Released1992
RecordedSeptember 20, 21 & 22, 1992
GenreJazz
Length42:45
LabelSoul Note
ProducerFlavio Bonandrini
Billy Bang chronology
Valve No. 10
(1988) 		A Tribute to Stuff Smith
(1992) 		Hip Hop Be Bop
(1993)

A Tribute to Stuff Smith is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1992. The album was released on the Italian Soul Note label and features songs written by or associated with violinist Stuff Smith (1909-1967). Bang is supported by pianist and former Smith collaborator Sun Ra (in a rare sideman appearance), bassist John Ore and drummer Andrew Cyrille.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[3]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[5]
Tom Hull – on the WebA−[6]

The editors of AllMusic awarded the album 4 stars, and reviewer Scott Yanow wrote: "Ra was a bit hemmed in by the concept, and his conception of time was different than Bang's, so there is a certain amount of tension in the music. Also, Billy Bang has a much rougher sound and a freer style than Stuff Smith, but the end results are well worth hearing".[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings praised Cyrille's contribution, stating that he is "the key element, constantly suggesting new routes, changing the pace, lying back almost out of the picture, and then erupting in with another flurry of ideas."[3]

Critic Tom Hull assigned the album a rating of "A−", commenting: "Not breathtaking, but certainly a delight."[6]

Robert Spencer of All About Jazz remarked: "Although the choice of material here is made up entirely of tunes Stuff Smith played... Bang and Sun Ra... make them new in the best tradition of jazz."[7]

Track listing

  1. "Only Time Will Tell" (Stuff Smith) - 5:33
  2. "Satin Doll" (Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn) - 8:01
  3. "Deep Purple" (Peter DeRose, Mitchell Parish) - 6:24
  4. "Bugle Blues" (Smith) - 2:52
  5. "A Foggy Day" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 3:58
  6. "April in Paris" (Vernon Duke, E. Y. Harburg) - 5:18
  7. "Lover Man" (Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez, James Sherman) - 6:27
  8. "Yesterdays" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) - 4:12
    • Recorded at Sear Sound in New York City on September 20, 21 & 22, 1992

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Soul Note discography Archived 2011-08-18 at the Wayback Machine accessed July 12, 2011
  2. ^ a b Yanow, S. AllMusic Review Archived 2011-08-31 at the Wayback Machine accessed July 12, 2011
  3. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 53.
  5. ^ Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 45.
  6. ^ a b Hull, Tom. "Billy Bang Is in the House". Tom Hull – on the Web. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Spencer, Robert (May 7, 2004). "Unsung Recordings By Billy Bang". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.