TOMMY SMITH - Traneing For Life
Photographs by Derek Clark
As we entered into 2017, and the fiftieth anniversary of the death of John Coltrane loomed large it was readily apparent that as the year progressed that there would be a spate of tribute albums and reissues dedicated to the saxophonist's memory and the legacy that he left behind. The difficulty was always going to be deciding which were worthy of our attention and which could be left on the shelves.
When word first got out that Tommy Smith was going to release a new album, with a new quartet, there was immediately a buzz of excitement and and anticipation, and the resulting album Embodying The Light does not disappoint. If anything it raises Smith's stature still higher (if that were possible) in a heartfelt dedication that is unequivocally a homage to the Coltrane whilst also ensuring that there is no mistaking who is behind the tenor saxophone.
This is no mean feat, given the impact that Coltrane had on the music during his lifetime, and the influence he has on musicians on all instruments since his death. There are many who have tried to play the music of John Coltrane and imbue with something of their own only to fall at the first hurdle; but in a set that mixes some familiar (and less familiar) Trane compositions and originals penned by Smith, this is one of the must have albums of the year.
As we entered into 2017, and the fiftieth anniversary of the death of John Coltrane loomed large it was readily apparent that as the year progressed that there would be a spate of tribute albums and reissues dedicated to the saxophonist's memory and the legacy that he left behind. The difficulty was always going to be deciding which were worthy of our attention and which could be left on the shelves.
When word first got out that Tommy Smith was going to release a new album, with a new quartet, there was immediately a buzz of excitement and and anticipation, and the resulting album Embodying The Light does not disappoint. If anything it raises Smith's stature still higher (if that were possible) in a heartfelt dedication that is unequivocally a homage to the Coltrane whilst also ensuring that there is no mistaking who is behind the tenor saxophone.
This is no mean feat, given the impact that Coltrane had on the music during his lifetime, and the influence he has on musicians on all instruments since his death. There are many who have tried to play the music of John Coltrane and imbue with something of their own only to fall at the first hurdle; but in a set that mixes some familiar (and less familiar) Trane compositions and originals penned by Smith, this is one of the must have albums of the year.
With a chance to talk to talk to Smith about his latest release on his Spartacus imprint, we began by talking about the saxophonist's earliest recollections of hearing the music of John Coltrane and the first album that he bought. "Remember, I had no money when I was a kid" recalls Tommy, "and the money I did earn was only £5 per week playing with my group in a bar in Edinburgh. This was then spent on saxophone reeds and bus fares, so, it always took me a few weeks to save up for a precious LP. Ominously, the first Trane record I bought was Ascension from a small record shop in Cockburn Street in the centre of my hometown. I took the album home and placed it on my parent’s record player." As if lost in thought, Tommy elaborates, "The cover had a photo of Trane sitting on a chair with a soprano saxophone in his hand, while he looked into the void against a pure white background, like he was adoring some heavenly peace. I watched the record spin and listened to the chaos begin, skipped to the middle and end of side A, turned it over and did the same again. I unequivocally hated it! So, I walked down to the bus stop and waited for the number 30 bus to take me from where I lived in Westerhailes all the way back into town. Upon arrival, I demanded a refund from the shop owner. Sadly, he didn’t give me one, so I left the album in the wee shop, said something stupid and stormed out in disgust. It would take a good few years for me to understand and appreciate the brilliance of Ascension. Eventually, I did own a Coltrane record; the great Blue Train; although at the time , I was still heavily into Stan Getz, Dexter, George Coleman and the Hawk, but I did appreciate the brilliance of Trane’s technique and harmonic knowledge."
If Smith's introduction to Trane was a baptism of fire, I asked if he has a favourite Coltrane album, or a period of his career. Considering his answer he replies "That’s a tricky one, but I do enjoy Interstellar Space, which is just a duo with drummer Rashied Ali and is monumental, but there are so many: Meditations, A Love Supreme, Transition, Live at the Half Note, etc., impossible to single out any one in particular."
Smith's interest in the music of Coltrane has long been a part of the saxophonist, an important part granted, but he has never allowed the omnipotent presence of the late saxophonist to be an all prevailing part of his musical ouevre. He has frequently acknowledged Trane as an influence, from the outset in his cheekily titled debut album, Giant Strides in which the audacious teenage Tommy Smith takes on the 'Giant Steps' technical challenge, through to other songs associated with the tenorist such as 'Bye Bye Blackbird' that was featured on the Spartacus album as far back as 2000, and 'Naima' was first featured on record on the solo album, Into Silence. However it on the quartet albums that Coltrane's presence in most clearly felt, The Christmas Concert with pianist Gareth Williams, Orlando Le Fleming on bass and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom (who is also behind the kit on this latest release) carried some definite Traneisms as heard on a rousing version of 'God Rest, Ye Merry Gentleman ' complete with a strong pulsating vamp set up by the pianist for Smith to solo over. This was followed up with another quartet recording in 2005, this time with an all Scottish line up of Steve Hamilton at the piano, Aidan O'Donnell on bass and Alyn Cosker on drums. The standout track, amongst an extremely strong supporting cast, was the opener, a fifteen minute tour de force for the saxophonist that proved once and for all that he had the technique, stamina and most importantly something to say, on a long intense solo.
If Smith's introduction to Trane was a baptism of fire, I asked if he has a favourite Coltrane album, or a period of his career. Considering his answer he replies "That’s a tricky one, but I do enjoy Interstellar Space, which is just a duo with drummer Rashied Ali and is monumental, but there are so many: Meditations, A Love Supreme, Transition, Live at the Half Note, etc., impossible to single out any one in particular."
Smith's interest in the music of Coltrane has long been a part of the saxophonist, an important part granted, but he has never allowed the omnipotent presence of the late saxophonist to be an all prevailing part of his musical ouevre. He has frequently acknowledged Trane as an influence, from the outset in his cheekily titled debut album, Giant Strides in which the audacious teenage Tommy Smith takes on the 'Giant Steps' technical challenge, through to other songs associated with the tenorist such as 'Bye Bye Blackbird' that was featured on the Spartacus album as far back as 2000, and 'Naima' was first featured on record on the solo album, Into Silence. However it on the quartet albums that Coltrane's presence in most clearly felt, The Christmas Concert with pianist Gareth Williams, Orlando Le Fleming on bass and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom (who is also behind the kit on this latest release) carried some definite Traneisms as heard on a rousing version of 'God Rest, Ye Merry Gentleman ' complete with a strong pulsating vamp set up by the pianist for Smith to solo over. This was followed up with another quartet recording in 2005, this time with an all Scottish line up of Steve Hamilton at the piano, Aidan O'Donnell on bass and Alyn Cosker on drums. The standout track, amongst an extremely strong supporting cast, was the opener, a fifteen minute tour de force for the saxophonist that proved once and for all that he had the technique, stamina and most importantly something to say, on a long intense solo.
Given all of the above, Smith has shied away from making a record devoted to Coltrane, so why I asked has he chosen now to so? "As someone who plays the saxophone occasionally, recording a dedication to Coltrane is probably the most terrifying journey you can prepare for, since one is never ready to relinquish the music of the Master, "say Tommy. "Especially, as I’m on no occasion ready for any project due to the fact that I’m always pushing myself, although, no one ever pushed themselves as hard as Trane! However, since I turned fifty this year I thought it wise to transcend to the club and join the multitude of saxophonists who have gone before me and get the job done. Trane’s music is omnipresent even though his physical presence left us in 1967, fifty years ago on 17th July this year, I thought it prudent to record my dedication now, since you never know what tomorrow has in store for you." So having decided to embark on such an undertaking, how do you go about making this a reality. In a typically candid reply, Smith says " Well, it’s simple really. I got in touch with a few fantastic musicians, who have great personal spirits that I wanted to share some important music with. We got together on the day of the recording at Castlesound near Edinburgh and set forth to record the music of Coltrane. Importantly, we didn’t rehearse before the date, as I wanted the interaction to be as special as your first kiss."
So the scene is set, the rhythm section of choice is gathered at the recording studio, and everyone is ready to play. So what about the repertoire? "Well, there’s so many wonderful tunes to chose from, as you know, so I thought I would record the music I play regularly, the more challenging songs that require focused imagination and interplay from the quartet", explains Tommy. "But now having made the album, I would so love to do another recording now with additional songs, as Trane wrote so many great vehicles for improvisation.
So the scene is set, the rhythm section of choice is gathered at the recording studio, and everyone is ready to play. So what about the repertoire? "Well, there’s so many wonderful tunes to chose from, as you know, so I thought I would record the music I play regularly, the more challenging songs that require focused imagination and interplay from the quartet", explains Tommy. "But now having made the album, I would so love to do another recording now with additional songs, as Trane wrote so many great vehicles for improvisation.
Two of the Trane's pieces, 'Transition' and 'The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost' selected for the album are later pieces from the saxophonist when he was beginning to play more freely. So I asked Tommy how he approached these pieces for the quartet, and his tenor playing in particular? "That’s simple", states Smith. "I had a fantastic guru, Arild Andersen. Playing in his trio since 2008 has taught me how to tackle these free pieces with an open mind and open ears. Sebastiaan de Krom and I toured in 2001 with David Liebman and we learned a thing or two about focused energy and forward motion. Gary Burton, my other guru taught me how to develop ideas thematically when I was 18, which is still a important part of my conceptual playing. The quartet was filled with energy that day and all of us were exhausted afterwards."
As well as pieces by Coltrane, Embodying The Light is a nicely balanced set that also features original compositions by Tommy, so were these pieces written especially for the recording? " Yes and No. The first track, 'Transformation' I wrote when I was 15 years old" says Smith. "It's original title was, ‘Traneing for Life’ and is based on the chord progression of Trane’s ‘Impressions’, whose melody and harmony are a plagerisation of a 1942 classical piece by Morton Gould called Pavanne. It is known, that Miles Davis was the first jazz musician to use the progression in his piece ‘So What’, so perhaps he was the one that introduced the music to Bill Evans and Trane. My gut feeling is, that Bill Evans introduced the modal Pavanne to Miles and Miles took credit for the song. My other tunes are ‘Embodying the Light’ and ‘Embodying the Darkness’. The first, a simple Blues, with rhythmic Traneisims and the later, and song based on Trane’s 'One Down, One Up' vibe."
As well as pieces by Coltrane, Embodying The Light is a nicely balanced set that also features original compositions by Tommy, so were these pieces written especially for the recording? " Yes and No. The first track, 'Transformation' I wrote when I was 15 years old" says Smith. "It's original title was, ‘Traneing for Life’ and is based on the chord progression of Trane’s ‘Impressions’, whose melody and harmony are a plagerisation of a 1942 classical piece by Morton Gould called Pavanne. It is known, that Miles Davis was the first jazz musician to use the progression in his piece ‘So What’, so perhaps he was the one that introduced the music to Bill Evans and Trane. My gut feeling is, that Bill Evans introduced the modal Pavanne to Miles and Miles took credit for the song. My other tunes are ‘Embodying the Light’ and ‘Embodying the Darkness’. The first, a simple Blues, with rhythmic Traneisims and the later, and song based on Trane’s 'One Down, One Up' vibe."
Embodying The Light is released on Spartacus Records on CD & MP3. For more information visit
Tommy's website. Click on the album cover to read our review.
Tommy's website. Click on the album cover to read our review.
