 Daniel Smith What is that sound? A tuba at the top of its range? An oddly muted trombone? A bari sax under water? It’s a bassoon, a bassoon playing great bop standards from Benny Golson or Charlie Parker, or classic blues from Robert Johnson. Daniel Smith has given this long hollow tube a new purpose—to sing melody and improvise as if it was truly a jazz instrument. With five jazz recordings and a ton of accolades, Smith celebrates the January 12th North American release of Blue Bassoon with his Bassoon and Beyond Quartet throughout the NYC area, starting at Puppet's Jazz Bar on January 6th.
 Blue Bassoon 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 released several recordings of jazz bassoon with his quartet “Bassoon and Beyond,” including Baroque Jazz (jazz renditions of Baroque classics), Jazz Suite for Bassoon (a commissioned work by Steve Gray), Bebop Bassoon, The Swinging Bassoon, and his brand new, Blue Bassoon. (Click here for reviews of Bebop Bassoon and Blue Bassoon.) Bassoon and Beyond includes Daniel Kelly on piano and Michael O'Brien on bass. On January 6th at Puppet's, they will be joined by Chris Carroll on drums. Vincent Ector will man the trapset on January 28th at Bargemusic. Other performances are noted below. More about Daniel Smith and his CDs at www.danielsmithbassoon.com Bassoon and Beyond gigs: January 6, 9 pm, 10:30 pm and 12 am at Puppet's Jazz Bar, 481 5th Av Brooklyn; www.puppetsjazz.com
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New York 
Thursday, 18 March 2010
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