Michael Smith-The dualities of Man-1977

Michael Smith's 1977 ,Solo for Horo, the Odyssey continues!...
Rather better than Totality on Red... this is an all Original program.
click on the Back Cover to view session details!
Enjoy!

PS...  lots of wow and Flutter, as well as a pressing fault on this one , so expect a bit of noise , i cant fix those problems without reducing the Quality of the music, or flattening out the frequency spectrum and bleaching out the sound.

Michael Smith, ‎– Totality,Red Record – VPA 118,1974

For onxi, heres Michael J.Smith's 1974 solo lp for RED!

Smiths Early work ,was hugely idiosyncratic and Ambitious, and we here at IS love it  feeling that it has been unjustly eclipsed.

, This one though very good is perhaps a little low key, rather introspective and slightly meandering in over all tone by comparison to the group sessions we have previously posted...

Here we have a leisurely stroll through a couple of bare bones ballads and a few originals , featuring Smiths own unique, often stark variations on standard tunes , treated in a way which t is similar in many respects to the free floating way an Andrew Hill, a Howard Riley or a Paul Bley  handle a tune like angel eyes.

there is an unsettling rather frayed romanticism at play here, bitter sweet and  fractured.

Angel eyes is a stand out performance , its a tune i love ,which like Nature Boy, has a mysterioso , slightly ironic under tone,perhaps  prefiguring some profoundly unsettling pathos hovering just beneath the surface ripples..of our fragile ,shaky  albeit painstakingly constructed & ultimately delusional senses of self. 

sadly at present there appears to be only one recording featuring Smith as a (co)Leader currently available 

A wonderfully intense duo with Steve Lacy, Sidelines which can be bought direct from the source here

Michael Smith, ‎– Totality,Red Record – VPA 118,1974
Tracklist
▼
A1-Tender Are Your Eyes
A2-Jazz Ballett For Patricia
A3-All I Need Is You
B1-Angel Eyes
B2-And Then ... I Died
B3-Your Voice Speaks (1 Over Track)

M.J.Smith-Piano Solo

ENJOY!!

ps...this is pretty much a straight transfer , with the volume jacked up and light declicking in a few places

there is a little surface jitter, and rumble , i  initially tried de rumbling, but wasnt happy with the resultant musical loss , so...ive left it as is 

STEVE LACY QUARTET "MOERS 1974"

STEVE LACY QUARTET "MOERS 1974"


Steve Lacy, soprano saxophone
Michael Smith, piano
Kent Carter, bass
Kenneth Tyler, drums


1. Scraps/Weal (continuous)                 18:13
2. Flakes                                   12:04
3. The Schoals (Memory Of Duke Ellington)   11:52
4. Moms/Crops/Esteem (applause between)     25:54
5. The Rush/Announcement(Steve Lacy)        04:58


Note: the following is the info file I got with the cdr - the above is what I have...yet they play at least 'The Schoals (Memory Of Duke Ellington).
Maybe anyone can help?

... Thanks to marten512 and hloess for the track titles!


1. Scraps 10:12
2. Weal 07:00
3. Flakes 02:04
4. The Schoals (Memory Of Duke Ellington) 11:46
5. Moms 11:00
6. Crops 08:00
7. Esteem 07:00
8. The Rush 04:00
9. Announcement Steve Lacy 01:00


Recorded at Moers, 3.New Jazz Festival on 1st June 1974.

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MICHAEL SMITH "REFLECTION ON PROGRESS" (STORYVILLE, 1972)

MICHAEL SMITH "REFLECTION ON PROGRESS"

Michael Smith, piano
Kent Carter, bass
Laurence Cook, drums
Ivan Krillzarin, percussion


1. Tempus Edax Rerum 05:10
---(Time is the consumer of all things)
2. Reflection On Progress 07:44
3. Agreement III 06:03
---(A tribute to Paul Bley)
4. Sunny Day 05:21
5. Tit 07:55
6. Nevenka 04:38
7. Dianoia To Nous 11:47
---(A tribute to Anthony Braxton,
George Russell & Maurice Nicoll)


All pieces by Michael Smith except "Tit" which is from Kent Carter.


Recorded at: Ivar Rosenberg Sound Technic, Copenhagen, August 10 & 14, 1972.

STORYVILLE SLP 1006

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MICHAEL SMITH "LA MUSIQUE BLANCHE" (LE CHANT DU MONDE, 1975)

Ten years after "Man Running" from the duo of Scianni and Izenzon the musical possibilities have become "shoreless" and one of the fruits of this re-/evolution you can hear on "La Musique Blanche".
Au contraire to the titel the music is colourful and is offering a range of moods and emotions.

It was Sotise who made me aware of Michael J. Smith - this post is especially for you.

The LP I got was in a very poor condition. I tried - carefully - to remove the scratches.




MICHAEL SMITH "LA MUSIQUE BLANCHE"


Michael Smith, piano
Kent Carter, cello, percussion


1. Megalomania (Geomusic 3208) 04:14
2. Ectomy (Geomusic 3203) 04:49
3. Otomy (Geomusic 3204) 04:48
4. Interception (Geomusic 3205) 02:35 (For Lonlon & Tanja)
5. La Musique Blanche (Geomusic 3207) 07:23
6. Sanction (Geomusic 3206) 04:33
7. Preparation For A Descent Into Hell 14:55
(For Doris Lessing)



Recorded in Neuilly, France on 12th March, 1975.

LE CHANT DU MONDE LDX 74601

MICHAEL J. SMITH "ELVIRA MADIGAN...AND OTHER DANCES" (HORO, 1977)

I have heard this double LP for the first time while making the rip.
The LP was still sealed when I got it some weeks before. The pressing is mediocre as mostly with Horo LPs. Still - the music is idiosyncratic and I enjoy it a lot.

Thanks to Sotise who made me aware about M.J.Smith's music through his previous posts on IS.
http://inconstantsol.blogspot.com/2010/10/michaeljsmith-geomusic-3-polskie.html
and
http://inconstantsol.blogspot.com/2008/12/michael-smith-geomusic-polskie-nagrania.html

On this recording you can hear on the first side of LP 1 a solo from M.J.Smith. A solo for piano and computer generated sounds on side b of the second LP and two sides in a duo setting.



MICHAEL J. SMITH "ELVIRA MADIGAN...AND OTHER DANCES"

Michael J. Smith,p
Knut Riisnaes,ss,ts (LP 1 Side B & LP 2 Side A)

LP 1
Side A
1. Ballad Of Elvira Madigan 21:07

Side B
2. Thoughts On A New Found Friend 22:26
a. Forethought
b. Forethought
c. Afterthought

LP 2
Side C
1. Geomusic 3715 11:21
2. A Face In A Mirror (vers.1) 05:38
3. A Face In A Mirror (vers.2) 05:28

Side D
4. Interaction 24:43
(for piano and computer generated sound)

Arne Bendiksen Studio, Oslo on September 9, 1977.

HORO HDP 11-12

Michael Smith -geomusic (polskie nagrania lp 1476)1976

Heres a fresh rip of michael smiths geomusic, recorded by smiths quartet while on tour in poland ,with the adition of a couple of polish musicians, including the great saxophonist/ violinist zbigniew Namyslowski, a prodigy who was closely associated with Komeda(to whom track 3 is dedicated,and Stanko.

This one goes out to our friend fslmy with thanks for all his great shares!

I dont know a great deal about Smith, first stumbling across his work in the throes of discovering Steve Lacy's oeuvre.
his discography i think is pretty sparse, i know of only 4 or 5 albums recorded under his own name.
As a side man in the mid 70's he recorded with both Anthony Braxton And Steve Lacy,being Lacy's regular pianist for a couple of years.
recently re-emerging(in the late 80's and mid 90's) for a couple of very good discs with Noah Howard.

This one is possibly his finest record under his own name...my favourite in any case.
saxophonist Claude bernard is good if not very distinctive ... but its the rythym section of Kent Carter and Lawrence cook, as well as Namyslowski Who light up the procedings, blowing even Smith out of the water.

One odd thing about the liner notes is that the reviewer refers to Smith's Devilish appearance!
Smith himself says 'i dont know what direction the music is going, it is going at the same time everywhere and nowhere'

recorded in Warsaw, october 1976
Michael Smith-pno, composer
Claude Bernard-alto sax
Zbigniew Namyslowski-alto sax, violin
Kent Carter-db, cello
Laurence cook-dr


Note this album appeared as mp3's last year at jizzrelics ..this is a rip from my own copy... a bit crackly but otherwise in pretty good nick!
enjoy