Derek Smith Trio - Plays Jerome Kern (2014)

Reissued in 1991 by the Progressive label, this album is a standout tribute to the music of Jerome Kern ,who transformed American musical theater into something unique when he collaborated with Oscar Hammerstein II on the groundbreaking Show Boat. This production raised the musical form from little more than a floorshow of unrelated songs into true musical drama where the music was part and parcel of a cohesive story line. Kern went on to join with many of the finest lyricists of American Popular Song. In addition to Hammerstein, there were Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, and some say his most successful collaborator, Dorothy Fields. Together these two wrote the music and lyrics for some of Fred Astaire's most entertaining films. This CD has representative selections of Kern's output with each of these illustrious partners. Joined by Ronnie Bedford on drums and Linc Milliman on bass, expatriate Englishman Derek Smith applies a light and lilting touch with Oscar Peterson-like energy to the play list of 11 songs, six of which have alternate takes as well as the preferred one. In short, this title could just as well have been titled "Smith Swings Kern." Tunes such as "The Way You Look Tonight," "I'm Old Fashioned," and "I Won't Dance" are given a glowing burnish by Smith and his cohorts. Even on the tunes where his pace slows down a dash, there's still a swinging swagger to them, such as "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." If your collection lacks an album featuring the compositions of Jerome Kern, you would be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying one than this. An extra attraction is that the CD cover art is a replication of David Stone Martin's original for the LP. ~ Dave Nathan