Folk Jazz

Bill Smith | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B00008Z47N
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,865 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. A-Roving

2. Greensleeves

3. Nobdy Knows the Trouble I've Seen

4. John Henry

5. Wayfaring Stranger

6. Three Blind Mice

7. Go Down, Moses

8. Blow the Man Down

9. Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair

10. Reuben, Reuben

11. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out [Alternate Take 1][*]

12. Reuben, Reuben [Alternate Take 14][*]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic "Folk Jazz", October 24, 2008

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Folk Jazz (Audio CD)

For those of you who don't know jazz clarinetist Bill Smith, perhaps you know William O. Smith, classical composer and Juilliard educator -- they are one in the same! In any event, it is the jazz, with folk foundations, that is on display on this 1959 album, with Jim Hall on guitar, Monty Budwig on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Along with the sessions he made with Dave Brubeck, "Folk Jazz" is a great showcase for a relatively unknown musician.

5.0 out of 5 stars Folk Songs Played as Jazz, January 23, 2012

By 

J. D. Traiger (Milford, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Folk Jazz (Audio CD)

Bill Smith, a California-based master clarinetist, has rendered common folk tunes as jazz standards. While listening to this CD, you can easily come to the conclusion that the tues were always jazz tunes; they were always meant to be played as jazz tunes. This is how good this CD really is! It has just about everything one would want listening to good jazz music: skillful chord changes, smooth trading-4's, natural lyricism, excellent intrumentalism, creative interpretations, and a great balance of bass, rhythm and melody. The results are excellent examples of Smith's grasp and understanding of "traditional" vocal music traditions, jazz essentials, and improvisational skills. It's hard to say which tune on the CD is my favorite because I keep changing my mind each time I play the CD from the beginning. In addition, the sound quality of this CD is quite good, considering that the original studio recording was made in February and November, 1959, and remastered in 2003. The group includes a few well-known jazzmen who provide solid backup to Bill Smith: Jim Hall on guitar, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. This CD provides 53 minutes of jazz pleasure, any time of the day.