Johnny Smith's Kaleidoscope

 

My Foolish Heart

Johnny Smith's Kaleidoscope

A Teddy Reig Production

Director of Engineer: Val Valentine

Engineer: Bob Arnold

Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City

November 27, 28, 29 and 30, 1967

Cover Art: Robert Kennedy

Cover Design: Jack Anesh

Verve V6-8737

From inside the (gatefold) cover: When writing about Johnny Smith, one must exercise great restraint. For if you are even remotely acquainted with the man, of if you believe a jazz artist's true and basic personality is reflected in the sound and character of his solo voice, then you are aware of Johnny's total lack of voice, then you know he may be embarrassed if you praise him too highly.

Had Johnny not chosen to go into semi-retirement about nine years ago, praising, evaluating or re-starting his greatness would be unnecessary. His popularity at that time was unequalled on the East Coast. Since then, however, new guitar voices have reached prominence and the instrument itself has become musically symbolic of our electronic age.

But with all the fine players who have materialized during this time, it is interestingly, as movingly and with as much harmonic depth as does Johnny. Kile Lester Young, you have the feeling his mind is very much on the lyrics of any ballad he plays. This feeling is supported by the tag he plays on Old Folks, whereby he finally takes the liberty, after all these years, revealing the venerable gentleman's true commitment ("Did he fight for the Blue or the Gray?") in the War Between The States. And Johnny is no less effective the ballad context playing The Girl With The Flaxen Hair, Dreamsville and My Foolish Heart (with a bow to Bill Evan's masterly harmonic plumbing of the tune).

But the speed cum accuracy of Johnny's playing whether in up tempi (Walk Don't Run and By Myself) or medium tempi playing double-time (Days Of Wine And Roses, Sweet Lorraine [a classic rendition] and I'm Old Fashioned) are what, in all probability, will really turn the listener on.

But the speed cum accuracy of Johnny's playing, whether in up tempi (Walk Don't Run, and By Myself) or medium tempi playing double-time (Days Of Wine And Roses, Sweet Lorraine [a classic rendition] and I'm Old Fashioned) are what, in all probability, will really turn the listener on.

But enough already! These very mild comments will surely be considered too hyperbole might not serve to express the admiration he bears (and rightly so) for his fellow musicians on this date: Hank Jones, piano; George Duvivier, bass; Don Lamond, drums. They are, as anyone reasonably familiar with jazz in the last two decades knows, masters, all.

Critic Ralph Gleason, in a recent edition of Jazz & Pop, related the story of "a long haired young man," the lead guitarist and featured soloist of a prominent rack group, who "went to all the record stores in San Francisco and bought all the albums he could find by the French gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt." And the Berklee School of Music in Boston, a foremost institution for the teaching of jazz, reports guitarists to be the second leading group of enrollees. With these two salient facts in mind (and taking into consideration the excellence of this recording) one might wish MGM could issue Johnny Smith's KALEIDOSCOPE en masse. Its beneficial effects on young guitarists (or on music in general) may more than balance the consequent loss of revenue. – Sidney Eden

From Billboard - March 23, 1968: Guitarist Johnny Smith plays "Old Folks," "Days Of Wine And Roses" and "I'm Old Fashioned" with all the passion and vitality of a moody voice woven into the string. Smith's long-recognized virtuosity, a beacon in the fog of electronic guitar psychedelics, continues to bear out the idea that longevity is guaranteed by talent. His depth and command of the harmonic qualities to be found in the guitar are a tribute to this fine artists.

Walk Don't Run

Olf Folks

Days Of Wine And Roses

The Girl With The Flaxen Hair

My Foolish Heart

By Myself

I'm Old Fashioned

Sweet Lorriane 

Choro Da Saudade

Dreamsville