Daniel Smith

Simultaneously dubbed the “Gerry Mulligan of the Bassoon” in jazz circles and the “Rampal of the Bassoon” in the classical realm, Daniel Smith is above all a versatile pioneer when it comes to this great double reed. With recordings and performances that stretch from Baroque to ragtime to bop, Smith has turned the bassoon repertoire upside-down and inside-out, resulting in a much greater appreciation of this unique and difficult-to-master instrument. Smith appears to be the only bassoonist today who is performing and recording both classical and jazz, although the first appearance of the bassoon in a jazz context goes back to the 1920s and Paul Whiteman’s orchestra. In the 1960s, both Yusef Lateef and Chick Corea incorporated some bassoon into their recordings, and saxophonists Illinois Jacquet and Frank Tiberi occasionally doubled on the bassoon. A few contemporary jazz artists exclusively play bassoon (Karen Borca, Michael Rabinowitz). Yet only Smith, who has enjoyed a highly successful classical career, has managed to actively span both genres, and particularly bring public attention to the bassoon as a solo jazz instrument as well as ensemble playmate.

Daniel Smith’s career in music did not have an auspicious beginning. Growing up in The Bronx with aspirations to be a visual artist, his first real exposure to music came at age 16 when he saw Benny Goodman perform on a televised New Year’s Eve special. So unfamiliar with the music was Smith that he identified the wonderful instrument he heard as a trumpet rather than clarinet. Nevertheless inspired by Goodman, Smith first sought clarinet lessons, then studied saxophone and flute. He initially enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music as a clarinet major, later switching his emphasis to flute. After completing his military obligation as a clarinet/flute player with the West Point Army Band, Smith decided to learn the bassoon to increase his options for studio work and as a Broadway pit musician.

Despite his classical training and expertise, Smith notes that his background is atypical of both classical and jazz musicians, “…although I did study eventually with some of the best players and teachers, including the principal players from the NY Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Boston Symphony and even from Toscanini's NBC Symphony.” At one time or another, Smith played with the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and other leading classical ensembles. “However, along the way, I also did many things in music that a strictly classically trained bassoonist would never experience and certainly not which you would associate with someone known as a solo classical or jazz bassoonist,” such as playing sax and flute with Latin bands in New York clubs. Eventually, Smith found himself gravitating more and more toward work as a bassoon soloist, and seeking “to plunge into areas of music where the bassoon had never gone before—crossover, ragtime, popular music, and of course jazz.” While his “double life” is unique, Smith has also displayed some unusual efforts strictly within the classical tradition, such as recording the complete (37!) bassoon concerti of Vivaldi (voted “Best Concerto Recording of the Year” by the Music Industry Association and awarded the Penguin Guide's coveted *** rosette rating). In 2003, Smith was designated as “Ambassador for the Bassoon” by Youth Music in the United Kingdom.

Smith has previously released recordings of jazz bassoon with his quartet “Bassoon and Beyond,” including Baroque Jazz (jazz renditions of Baroque classics) and Jazz Suite for Bassoon (a commissioned work by Steve Gray). A follow-up to Bebop Bassoon will be released in fall 2006 on ZahZah Records as The Swinging Bassoon.

There are many fine jazz ensembles in New York and elsewhere, but none surpass Daniel Smith’s Bebop Bassoon for pure fun. Come and enjoy a great introduction to an unlikely instrument bringing yet one more new sound to jazz performance—at Night and Day, Friday, September 1^st.

Night and Day is located at 230 5th Ave. (at President St.), Park Slope in Brooklyn; (718) 399-2161; http://www.nightanddayrestaurant.com. Click here for a Jazz Police review of Bebop Bassoon.