Bing Breakthrough

Moonlight in Vermont is a 1956 album by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, featuring tenor saxophonist Stan Getz. Titled for Smith’s breakthrough hit song, it was the No.1 Jazz Album for 1956. It was popularly and critically well received and has come to be regarded as an important album in Smith’s discography, in the cool jazz genre and in the evolution of jazz guitar. Notable songs on the album, which reveal the influence of Smith’s experiences with the NBC Studio Orchestra, and as a multi-instrument musician, include the title track and the original composition “Jaguar”. The title track, singled out for its virtuosity, was a highly influential rendition of a jazz standard that secured Smith’s position in the public eye…