A Dedication To John Coltrane. The fiftieth anniversary of the death of saxophone colossus John Coltrane falls in ten days time, and if it seems that other half century celebrations have overshadowed its marking, Scotland's own giant of jazz has done his hero proud. As well as tackling five Coltrane compositions and one "Favourite Things" album cover in Gershwin's Summertime, Smith adds three pieces of his won that might be read as responses to the canon and certainly inhabit the same sonic territory as the music Coltrane made with the quartet of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones. Smith's partners are drummer Sebastiaan de Krom, and two players he has helped develop through his own education and band-leading work – bassist Calum Gourlay and pianist Pete Johnstone. For the most part they are exemplary sidemen – all the more so when you know that this new group met in the studio – and this is chiefly Smith's show, but Johnstone is on terrific form when he is permitted an extended kick at the ball on Resolution, from A Love Supreme. But for all the immaculate ensemble sound and pristine recording, this is Tommy Smith's very personal tribute to his hero, and his own playing absolutely top drawer: fluid, articulate, commanding and constantly surprising.
