Search - Jabbo Smith :: Hot Jazz in the Twenties 2

The sound of the roaring twenties

JEAN-MARIE JUIF | BESANCON France | 07/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you think of pre-1930's jazz trumpet players, you have of course Louis in mind.Maybe also,King Oliver and Bubber Miley.But who still reminds of giants like Freddie Keppard,Tommy Ladnier,Louis Metcalf,George Mitchell or Cladys "Jabbo" Smith? Jabbo,born 1908,in Georgia,on Christmas evening, died only a few years ago and remained active in the last years of his life.I had the pleasure of seeing him during the Antibes jazz festival,at the beginning of the 80's.He played in New York during the 20's and 30's with the great bands of Charlie Johnson,Carroll Dickerson and Claude Hopkins.And he was nothing less than one of the trumpet aces of that time.He was often compared to his great model,Louis Armstrong.And he diserves such a compliment.To be sure of that, just listen to his masterful solos on "Boston skuffle","Decatur Street tutti","take me to the river","got butter on it";it has to be noted that the presence of Jabbo Smith is uncertain on some of the tunes (""that's my stuff","goin' away just to wear you off my mind","rub me some more").Asked about that,Jabbo said he was not the trumpet player on the Lloyd Smith's sides.George Dixon is supposed to be playing.However, the Smith's sides are great jazz played by a master, by long forgotten; we have to discover him now."