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I remember reading somewhere (dang if I can remember where) that Barney Kessel called Johnny Smith the best guitarist he's ever heard. When I first heard him, he sounded like he was playing a harp. As NSJ mentioned, he was the master of close voiced chords which has a whole different sound than drop 2 and drop 3 voicings. For those not familiar with close voicing, that's where all the notes in the chord are in one octave. It often requires some weird stretches but they sound incredible. Also the fact that JS used D'Angelico guitars didn't hurt his sound. According to Matt Warnock who interviewed JS, his hands weren't that big at all. He just managed to stretch them out. I tried close voicing and all I got was arthritis and tendonitis. JS's timing and note articular was totally impeccable. He may not have considered himself a jazz player but man, could he improvise. It was clean, clear and polished without being cliche or boring. He sort of reminds me of the old fashion guitar teacher who came to your house and who could play so much better than you. No matter how well you mastered a song, you still couldn't play as good as him.
Last edited by hot ford coupe; 05-10-2011 at 01:48 PM.
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05-10-2011 01:29 PM
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The whole record Johnny made with Art is classic. IMHO.
Yeah, Johnny not a jazz player--his words, definitely not mine!
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Definitely agree that for a guy who didn't consider himself a jazz player...well, here's something I never saw before:
Not a great deal of JS video out there. Listen to that tone and the feel. Wow.
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And you just gotta dig that axe he's holding. I wonder where that's going when he decides to quit playing. He went and had one of those new fangled 6 finger tailpieces put on it. It sounds pretty good to me.
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He quit playing over 25 years ago--put the guitar down and never picked it back up.
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Johnny's "Moods Moods Moods" and "Designed For You" were the first jazz guitar records I owned. "The Man With The Blue Guitar" is the finest solo jazz guitar album in existence IMO.
Johnny also tuned his low E down to D pretty much all of the time. Gibson used to make a JS set years ago that was round wound but had a flatwound low E.
The box set of all of his Roost small group recordings is a must have.
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more like 50 years, actually. he didn't think nyc was a very good place to raise his kid, didn't want to play out with less than his full capacity...
Guitar Legend Johnny Smith Alive and Well in Colorado Springs | Cover Story | Colorado Springs Independent
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True, he did remove himself from the scene 50 years ago and stopped a lot of professional activity. But, from what I have learned (I actually had a guitar lesson interrupted a couple years ago with a Johnny Smith phone call--obviously, he wasn't calling me, duh
, he literally put down the guitar over 25 years ago and NEVER physically picked it up again, not even to tinker around or play for himself). As my teacher explained as to this 'all or nothing' stance, he said, "you have to know John, he is absolute perfectionist". Here is what my teacher has written about Mr. Smith:
"Johnny Smith is the Segovia of the electric guitar. Johnny Smith has always been a great inspiration to me, and thousands of other guitarists. I remember the first time I heard a recording of his playing. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. No one has been able to duplicate his style of playing. His stretching ability allows him to play close position chords that other players can't reach. His impeccable technique, beautiful tone, touch, legato and articulation set him apart from other players. He is the only guitarist that can move from chord to chord and not get a break in sound between chords. In addition to his phenomenal picking technique he can execute double stops as fast as most players play single notes. His playing is very clean and his articulation impeccable. He plays solo guitar with a pick and still takes advantage of the contrapuntal resources of the instrument. He is also a fine classic guitarist and arranger.
I remember an incident when John and I were in my studio and we had consumed quite a bit of vodka. I suggested that the Girl With The Flaxen Hair by Debussy would be a beautiful piece that lends itself to being played with a pick. I played it for him in the key of G. John then pointed out that certain parts had to be transposed to a different octave in that particular key. He then proceeded to play the composition in different keys, pointing out all the pluses and minus's of each key, with all the chords and voicing in their proper place. He did this effortlessly. John's immense knowledge and talent are mind - boggling. I had heard his recording of "Golden Earrings" and asked him to play it for me. To watch him picking the arpeggiation in his arrangement of that tune was amazing. His execution of the arpeggi sounded like a classic guitarist playing finger-style except he was doing it with a pick. A book he wrote many years ago called "Aids to Technique" {Charles Colin, Publisher} was a real eye opener for me. His fingering of three octave arpeggi and scales are studies that I practice all the time. They impart a tactile sense of security and knowledge of the total range of the guitar. When John mentioned he was writing a guitar method {Mel Bay, Publisher} he mentioned that he was writing the notation where the actual pitch of the guitar sounded. This meant that the guitarist would have to read bass clef. Most guitarists can't read treble clef let alone bass clef. I told John that it would scare teachers off and affect sales. He is absolutely right from a theoretic point of view but he was fighting centuries of guitar music being written in treble clef. John published it with both clefs because he felt it was the correct thing to do. I know that it scared most guitar teachers and consequently affected sales. I believe if guitarists became familiar and adept with both clefs they would be much better musicians. John is a gentleman from the old school. I consider it a great honor and privilege to call Johnny Smith my friend."
A great article about Mr. Smith:
Johnny (Still) Be Good
My favorite quote: "I'm bad with names, I'd forget my name if wasn't John Smith"
From that incredible article, the following:
"When I inquired as to whether he’d stopped playing or simply stopped performing, Smith’s response was both. It broke my heart to hear him say that, but Johnny is speaking from a more elevated perspective. “I tell people that I made enough mistakes for one guitar player—let somebody else at it. To sit around and just plunk on the guitar is nothing but frustration. Because to really come close to doing what you think you’re capable of doing, you have to stay on it all the time—all the time. It’s a physical challenge. No, you’re either performing or you’re out of it.”
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Through the years, Johnny Smith has been most closely identified stylistically with the cool jazz movement which began in NYC and later became known as West Coast Jazz. Smith always said that his primary guitar influences were Django Reinhardt and Andres Segovia. I think of him as the next evolutionary step from Reinhardt, more so than the gypsy jazz clones that have kept the style alive since Django's death. To me, he is the American Django.
Originally Posted by bachplay6
There's a book of transcriptions in standard notation by Steve Silverman that's available from Hal Leonard Publishing. Originally Posted by bachplay6
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Not sure if they're still available, but years ago I bought many transcriptions of JS tunes from Chord Melody Productions. Some of them were standard notations and many were written with sort of funky but clever "block chord symbols". Learning few JS arrangements is like opening a door to a completely new world, especially when using the drop D tuning. I did find most of the closed voiced chord stretches easier than I thought they'd be but there were few that I just had to skip and find another way to do them
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I used to have a JS interview on a cassette tape where he states the reasons why he left NY and finally quit playing altogether, but the most interesting part of the tape was about 20 second insert of a live 50s radio broadcast from Birdland, JS playing "Easy To Love". Got me thinking that somewhere there probably exists a tape of the whole show. Now, that's something I'd like to hear!!!
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"Johnny Smith Guitar Solos" from Hal Leonard (HL00672374) has 21 of his solos. I'm at work, but from memory I think they are only notation and may be in actual pitch and not transposed up an octave. Smith advocated writing guitar music at pitch and using both bass and treble clef. We sometimes forget that the guitar actually sounds an octave lower than written, i.e. our third space "c" is actual tone middle "c."
Brad
P.S. There were also some transcriptions in an old issue of "Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine" (even though he used a pick) and I think in Just Jazz Guitar magazine, not sure on the latter but should be able to find out on its website. Unfortunately, Fingerstyle Guitar is currently not in business, so I don't know how you could check on them.Last edited by brad4d8; 05-11-2011 at 10:07 AM.
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NSJ, in your last post, you definitely confirmed what I felt about JS and how he was the embodiment of the traditional old school guitar teacher.
There you were, 9 years old and just after you got home from school, he would come through the door with his guitar case in hand with the case cover over it to give you your weekly lesson. I can just see him taking off the cover under which was a brown alligator skin case. He'd open said case with the deep purple lining and pull out the most beautiful guitar you'd ever seen; not a Gibson, not an Epi but a sunburst cutaway guitar with a strange Italian sounding name, art deco inlays and tailpiece. He'd strike a few test chords and a single note line and the flowers in your mom's window boxes would come right out of the dirt and bloom right in front of you. And there you sat with your acoustic Harmony or Sears archtop with the cardboard case drooling over your teacher's guitar saying "One day, I'll have one just like it. Oh yes, It will be mine". Then you'd start your arpeggios and delve into that world of sound. Now that's what I call inspiration.
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If I'm not totally mistaken, the -55 D'Angelico is in the Hank Risan collection. Johnny's first DA was destroyed when his house burnt down. Originally Posted by hot ford coupe
This should be the -55 DA:
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I thought you'd get a bang outa dat. No, I didn't think you meant me at all. I just thought it would be great copy. Originally Posted by paynow
The part about scaring the southerners was believe it or not, 100% true. She took me aside after work one day and actually counselled me as if I had done something wrong. And I told her in no uncertain terms in my best Brooklyn drawl, to go and -----well, if you're from NYC, you know exactly what I told her. Any place on earth that you live has both good and bad points. NYC is no exception. You just have to know how to handle yourself and you're in business.
Hey bigsby, I think you're right about the D'A in Risan's collection. The proportions look just right. That one guitar inspired so many other great archtop. It's like the Holy Grail of Holy Grails.
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My mind's blown by how well written this is, a lot of guys when they get into the classical thing, they sound more like cheap imitations or beginners. Mr. Smith nailed it.
Edit: Turns out he's performing a piece by Max DeJulio, it isn't an original.Last edited by stellarstar; 06-21-2015 at 07:43 PM.
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JS was an excellent reader with impeccable technique. He performed a number of times with orchestras (and was part of the NBC radio orchestra performing live cues daily on radio shows, in addition to jazz gigs), including playing under the direction of Arturo Toscanini.
This is a nice find, I have never heard nor heard of this.
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Smith didn't compose that piece- he performed it. DeJulio (the composer) was a TV and film composer.
I wish there was a better recording of Smith doing that piece- it sounds like it was recorded on a cheap tape recorder.
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I stand corrected. I wish I could find more information on this Mr. DeJulio though
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As you wish. His name was Max DiJulio. From the Interwebs:
Max DiJulio10/10/19 - 1/28/05
Max DiJulio was an internationally known arranger, composer, conductor and educator. During his career, he worked with such notable musicians as GlennMiller,Henry Mancini and Alfred Reed. He conducted for great entertainers such as Jack Benny, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Smith, Jimmy Durante and Bob Hope and appeared as guest conductor with numerous orchestras both in the U.S. and abroad performing compositions and "symphonic pops" arrangements.
A native Philadelphian, Max relocated to Colorado after World War II to marry his wife, Esther, and start a family. He became a well-known local figure in the arts as a noted arranger for KOA radio, head of the Fine Arts Division at Loretto Heights College (now Colorado Heights) for 35 years, Music Director of the hugely popular summer Denver Post Operas in Cheesman Park (34 years) and arranger-conductor for the Pearle Rae Show.
A professional trumpeter at age 14, Max blossomed into a composer under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud and Cecil Effinger, and as a conductor under Joseph DeLuca and William Steinberg. He wrote both liturgical and secular compositions in a unique style that combined elements of jazz, folk, pop and classical genres. Numerous organizations commissioned new works, including the Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Public Library, the Fort Collins and Pueblo Symphony Orchestras and the Denver Municipal Band, among others.
He was honored by the Republic of Italy, which bestowed the title of Cavaliere, for his contributions to the arts. His score for the video film "Washington D.C., A Capital Experience" won a bronze medal at the 29th International Film and TV Festival in 1986. His music has been performed internationally in Scandinavia, throughout Europe and Japan.
In spite of his many accomplishments and accolades, he always remained "Mr. D", who was greatly loved by family, friends and students.
There is a series of Max DiJulio prizes for composition, etc.
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I have just seen this video and it is outstanding!
If someone posted this first, please erase this post.
I would like to know more about his horizontal playing concepts.
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I hadn't seen this before.
Nice clarification about elbow picking and the pendulum image.
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This is quite an insight into how Johnny Smith thought about playing guitar. His approach, to my ears, was very disciplined and rigorous and here he shows some of that- even while being an engaging and folksy man. The discussion of using a plectrum, especially upstrokes versus downstrokes. I am not that well organized (downstrokes on the downbeat, upstroke on the upbeat). His efficiency is just remarkable.
Around 10:50 he discussed the elbow issue. I have heard for years that Johnny Smith stated that all picking motion should come from the elbow and trying to do so was just awkward as could be. Once I finally saw videos of him playing, he clearly didn't do that. So having this interview and his discussion of this is clarifying. I think he's talking about "Aids to Technique and Guitar Interpretations," which I got somewhere and has some very good stuff in it. On page 2 it states "I also recommend that the thumb, forefinger and wrist of the right hand be held slightly rigid, requiring cross motion for picking to originate at the elbow." In the video Smith contradicts and clarifies this.
Also the use of 3 versus 4 fingers on the fretboard. I was taught from day 1 to use all four, but a lot of great jazz players use/used 3 (Wes, Pete Bernstein, Jimmy Raney and George Benson mostly).
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Well, he says that he plays in a different way the young players of those days.
He played in a diagonal way, and the young ones played in a position way and he used the pinky and the blues oriented players doesn't.
I think that the linear, horizontal, diagonal, whatever, fretboard navigation is a must and two things that had helped enormously for seeing the fretboard this way are the Smith arpeggios and the shifting positions recommendations from the Berklee modern method of guitar.
One thing that I like very much from the video is the explanation about the downstroke-downbeat pairing from the classical music world.
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Would someone be so kind as to tell me the name of the song fragment JS plays at 46:38.
It would be greatly appreciated. I know I've heard it before but cannot remember the name.
Thanks in advance.
edh
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Moonlight In Vermont is the song
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