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THE STUDIO PLAYERS
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SMILING JACK, Vocals and guitar
DAVE VIDAL, Lead guitar
MILES BLACK, Piano,clavinet and B3
QUIQUE VILLAFANE, Drums
KEN LISTER, Double bass
MIKE HERRIOT, Trumpet and trombone
MONIK NORDINE, Baritone sax
PHIL DWYER, Tenor sax
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THE SPANISH BAND
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SMILING JACK, Vocals and guitar
ANTONIO TOLEDO, Lead guitar
QUIQUE VILLAFANE, Drums
JESUS RODERO, Double bass
MIGUEL MOYA, Trumpet
WILLIAM GIBBS, Tenor sax
Influences
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REVIEW
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Crossroads Blues Society Reviews,
June 28, 2007-07-10
This Blue Before, by Mark Thompson
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Every once in awhile a dedicated music fan will discover an unexpected gem. These recordings have escaped widespread attention despite being innovative or just plain great !! The latest by Jack Smith is just such a surprise. It is a blast of fresh sounds and outstanding musicianship from a cast of unknowns. At least they are until you're done reading this review.
Smith is a former native of New Jersey who now resides in Madrid, Spain after a lengthy residence in Vancouver. He wrote all of the tunes, plays guitar and handles all of the vocals. Jack worked out the arrangements with his Spanish band, and then travelled to British Columbia to record with production help from his friend, Pat Coleman. The project certainly proves that blues music has indeed become an international art form.
Several elements contribute to the success of This Blue Before. Smith writes in a variety of styles and displays a knack for adding humour through a witty turn of a phrase. He sings with deep-toned, powerful voice with a bit of a rough edge to it. The tunes are fleshed out by a phenomenal three-piece horn section consisting of Phil Dwyer on tenor sax, Monik Nordine on baritone and Mike Herriot on trumpet & trombone. The trio play Coleman's brilliant horn charts with gusto and elevate each track with their fine work, as does lead guitarist Dave Vidal. Another key player is Miles Black. Whether on piano, clavinet or the B-3 organ, Black fills in the arrangements with inventive and tasteful displays of his keyboard mastery. All of the instrumental solos throughout the disc are compact and to the point - no grandstanding to detract from the proceedings.
Smiling Jack lays down a funky opening track as he tells the sad tale of having the "Deja Blues" all over again. Black establishes the tone on the clavinet with the horn section accenting Jack's vocal and Dave’s biting guitar solo. Smith has several tracks that examine different aspects of the blues. "The Blues Comes Back Again" explores the brief escape that comes from playing on stage. Black contributes several rocking piano solos on "I Found The Blues Again", which cautions not to get to comfortable with the good times. On "I Could Live with the Blues", Smith offers to make peace, if only "..the blues could live with me." In what has to be a first, Smiling Jack manages to build a song with a boogie beat around the Latin legal phrase "Mea Culpa". The title track closes the disc. It is a lengthy, dark meditation on the trials of life and love that serves as a contrast to the abundant good -time feel to the rest of the disc. Vidal unleashes a burning guitar solo before Black calms things down with his swirling organ phrases.
You owe to yourself to get a copy of this marvellous recording. It easily surpasses many of the blues releases on larger labels that I have heard in the last six months. Check out Smith's website to get a copy - and to help keep a smile on Jack's face !!!
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Buy the new CD "THIS BLUE BEFORE" in HARD COPY or DOWNLOADS from Root Cellar Records ----------------------------------- Buy the CD "Three Seconds To Love Me" from CD Baby
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Sounds Like
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Jack Smith was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up in Staten Island, New York. Starting out as a tap-dancer and a singer, he traded in his tap shoes for a guitar at the age of twelve and began writing and composing his own songs almost immediately.
He spent the sixties as a folk singer, working with a vocal group called The Smith Brothers (there was one woman singer in the group, but what the heck), that reached its peak when they made a demo for CBS with the legendary John Hammond, Sr.
The decade drew to a close with the formation of the now mythical band Orville Dorp, which migrated to Vancouver in the early seventies.
The band had it..s share of fame with a song called Jesus Marijuana which they released as a 45 rpm single, and then passed into history around the time that Jack was given the name Smiling Jack by some friends from a band called Stallion Thumrock.
The name stuck, and Jack stayed in Vancouver for 20 years, becoming a Canadian citizen and raising a son, MacKenzie.
During this 20 years Jack formed a number of interesting groups, from Smiling Jack and the Sparklers through Delta Airtight and ending up with a four piece vocal group called Party Fever, which released an album titled ..Ahh... Capella.. in 1990.
Then Jack moved back to the States for a while, singing a bit of country music in Florida and then living in New Jersey again where his focus finally settled on the blues. His first solo album, ..Direct To Dat Jack.., was recorded in Hoboken in 1994.
A visit to Spain opened up a world of new possibilities and later that year Jack moved his blues to Madrid, where he has been living for the last 12 years with his wife Carmen and their daughter Maria.
During this period Jack released 3 CDs in Spain, ..First Night With The Blues.. in 1996, ..Second Chance.. in 1997 and ..Three Seconds to Love Me.. in 2003.
He has just finished recording his fourth CD, ..This Blue Before.., in Canada, using an all-star line-up of Canadian musicians as well as his Spanish drummer, Quique Villafane. The recording was produced by the internationally famous jazz guitarist Pat Coleman and features a brillant horn section led by Phil Dwyer.
Over the course of some 40 years as a working musician, Jack has had the great fortune to work as an opening act for some of the biggest names in show business, including B.B. King, John Mayall, Bonnie Raitt, Charlie Musselwhite, Johnny Clyde Copeland, John Hammond, Jr, and the Reverend Gary Davis.
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RADIO STATIONS, there are broadcast quality tracks availabe FREE at Radio Submit
Register first if you are not already registered.
Then go to Smiling Jack Smith
LE COLLECTIF DES RADIOS BLUES, Radio in France y Quebec:
All Blues & Dixie Rock - Luc Brunot-on RCF Corr..ze (Ussel 102 / Brive 91.4 / Tulle 106.9 / Argentat 89.3) http://perso.orange.fr/all-blues-dixie-rock/
Radio Blues Intense on RBA FM Auvergne Limousin (104.4 / 98.2) http://perso.orange.fr/all-blues-dixie-rock/RBI.htm
CROSS..BLUES STATION .. Michel Faton-sur la R.A.M.(radio Alpine Meilleure)
Shotgun Blues ..Frederic Briout-tous les lundi de 18h .. 19h sur Fr..quence Amiti.. Vesoul 91.3 FM
MOJOBLUES- Joelle Maraton- SUR O2 RADIO 91.3 www.o2radio.net
VIRUS DE BLUES Propos.. par Jean-Pierre Savouyaud Sur MDM RADIO (101.1) .. Mont-de-Marsan
Maxwell St. .. Alain Enjalbert- on Terre Marine www.terremarinefm.com
B.L.U.E.S. NEWS -Serge Levet - BEAUB FM Mercredi 18h/19 Redif. Samedi 15h
LE BLUES VOUS VA SI BIEN KAOLIN FM Jeudi 21/23h Redif. Dimanche 12h
En collaboration avec CLOVIS l’AMERICAIN
Le Blues Caf..-Cedric Vernet et Francis Rateau -SUR COULEURS FM - 97.1 FM (Nord Is..re)
Tous les 1ers mardis du mois en direct de 20H .. 22H- > SUR LA WEBRADIO W3 BLUES RADIO http://bluesradio.free.fr
Rue D..Auteuil- Michel Dubois-CKRL-fm 89.1 Quebec
Baker Street - Xav-http://www.radiobakerstreet.com/
Paul Parello’s Blues Power-http://www.chicagobluesman.com/
Sittin.. At The Crossroad with Big D
WWOZ Radio 90.7FM- New Orleans, La.
BluzNdaBlood Podcast- Star City Virginia
http://bluzndablood.com
KMBH Radio-88 FM- Harlington, Texas (Chris Maley)
BLUES DELUXE (syndicated radio show) www.freeworldradio.com
The Big Break Music Podcast-Don D. Lewis- Kansas City-http://www.thebigbreakpodcast.com/
KRVM 91.9 FM, Eugene, Oregon-Breakfast With the Blues- BoogieKing Steve
"General Eclectic"-Tom Bingham -WCVF-FM -Fredonia, NY
EIGHT TO THE BAR WITH TARR-Les Tarr -KMFB 92.7 FM / 96.7 FM -
http://www.kmfb-fm.com -Mendocino, California
’Radioactive Blues Programming for the Tragically Hip & Twisted’
The UpperRoom with Joe Kelley and Gi Dessault -www.upperroomwithjoekelley.com (24/7)-
WVOF 88.5 FM, Fairfield, CT, Mondays from 4-8 pm EST - http://www.wvof.org.
Chittlin Circuit Radio -Arizona -http://radio.chittlincircuit.com/
The Midnight Flyer Network, with Norman Davis
KEGR-FM, Concord, CA 97.7 Saturday 8 a.m.-12n (stream)-
KKIT-FM, Taos, NM 95.9 Thursday 8 p.m.-12m-
FATMUSICRADIO.COM Sat Midnight & Mon 10pm Eastern (stream)
Hey Jack! Stopping by to hear your styly tunes.. havnt caught up with you for ages! Gosh aussie must be getting close now? August or oct?.. The way the year is going, it will be here before you know it! Freezing here at the moment, but beautiful days, snow is down on the mountains so making the mornings certainly crisp! Hope your well my friend, take care of you. Peace & Hugs Kris x
Hi Jack,thank you for your virtual friendship here on myspace.Its my pleasure to meet you on there.Sounds greai,keep up the great work.Cheers from BELGIUM EDOUARD GABRIEL
Howdy Jack .. It's great to hear from you .... I'm In Idaho .... trying to break the sound barrier! hahahahaaha I'd love to chat .... If you have sometime In the next day or two .... sue leonard ;-)
Hey Jack Great to hear from you! Certainly sounds like life is full on and busy for you. Australia in October, awesome.. how long are you going there for? What a shame you cant zip on over to kiwiland and play up a storm over here lol! *wishful thinking of course* Mothers day here is this sunday, so you have yours a week earlier.. Im taking my mum and my daughter out for brunch, just the girls.. then we are going to watch a festival of the dances.. all sorts mixed up.. salsa, jazz, ballet, belly dancing, rumba, every kind.. be great! Have a great week ahead my friend, and take some time out to relax when you can. Kris xx
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