As I promised in my last post, I have some vintage LP treasures to tell you about, the first of which is The Guitar World of Johnny Smith on Roost Records (Roost SLP 2254).

I think that Johnny Smith was one of the greatest jazz guitarists that ever lived, and you should go out to Wikipedia and read about him to learn a little more about his life and music when you get a chance.   Born in June 25, 1922, Johnny Smith was a contemporary to my friend John LaChapelle, and like John, passed away this year. It's been a rough year for those of us who love jazz guitar and the musicians who made it come alive.

For those of you who haven't listened much to vintage LPs you should be forewarned that many of them will be a bit noisier than you are used to with the contemporary remasters being offered these days. There's more surface noise, pops & clicks, and scratches on the surface of the LPs than you'll be used to hearing - like with this Johnny Smith album - but you won't be disappointed in the music - its fantastic! I know some of the noise is due to wear & tear and dust deep down in the grooves, but perhaps the newer vinyl formulations being used are quieter too. Those record experts in the audience perhaps can provide some insight.

But about this record: The music is stunning, with Side A having the songs I Remember Clifford, Black is the Color, I Could Have Told You It Never Entered My Mind, The Maid With The Flaxen Hair, and Prelude. Side B songs are Walk Don't Run, Shenandoah, Pavanne, My Dear Little Sweetheart, Some One To Watch Over Me, and Moonlight in Vermont.

The recording quality of Johnny Smith is stunning as well, and for those of you who are in the premium remastering business, these Royal Roost jazz records are a no-brainer. The music is fantastic, and the recordings are as good or better than any of the Fantasy, Concord, or Impulse reissues, which means you need to try to get your hands on the master tapes and reissue them - they're treasures! For those of you who run across any of these Johnny Smith albums while digging in the used record bins be sure to grab them - you can thank me later.

The next record I want to tell you about is the 45 RPM reissue of Soular Energy by The Ray Brown Trio with Gene Harris on the Analogue Productions label - it's a winner too!

Soular Energy has Ray Brown on bass, Gene Harris on piano, Gerryck King on drums, Red Holloway on tenor sax, and Emily Remler on guitar - an all-star jazz lineup.

The recording quality on Soular Energy is fantastic and is the equal of The Guitar World of Johnny Smith. It is also wonderful from a musical standpoint, with inspired music, and with the added benefit of being remastered at 45 RPM and being done on deluxe vinyl in a 2-LP set with the full Analogue Productions treatment. This is one record you'll want to have in your jazz record collection for sure!

That's it for now, and thanks for stopping by!

From my home to yours, may the music warm your soul!