Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of The Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith

Known as “the Lion” of the Harlem piano style, Willi Smith was one of the fathers of stride, and a member in good standing of a coterie of certified jazz legends. Throughout the album Smith reminisces about the pianists who congregated in New York and proceeded to revolutionize jazz. His recollections about the music of “my good friends and my pals” as he plays their music are priceless glimpses into the Jazz Age of the ‘20s and ‘30s.

These 1957 sessions were the first Jimmy Smith did with horns after his recording debut the previous year. With the calibre of the top-rank musicians involved – Smith, the first to translate Bird’s innovations to the organ, altoist Donaldson, the blues-drenched Bird follower, and both Mobley and Byrd contributing some thoughtful blowing of their own on tenor and trumpet respectively - the overall results were rewarding.

Known as “the Lion” of the Harlem piano style, Willi Smith was one of the fathers of stride, and a member in good standing of a coterie of certified jazz legends. Throughout the album Smith reminisces about the pianists who congregated in New York and proceeded to revolutionize jazz. His recollections about the music of “my good friends and my pals” as he plays their music are priceless glimpses into the Jazz Age of the ‘20s and ‘30s.

These 1957 sessions were the first Jimmy Smith did with horns after his recording debut the previous year. With the calibre of the top-rank musicians involved – Smith, the first to translate Bird’s innovations to the organ, altoist Donaldson, the blues-drenched Bird follower, and both Mobley and Byrd contributing some thoughtful blowing of their own on tenor and trumpet respectively - the overall results were rewarding.

Known as “the Lion” of the Harlem piano style, Willi Smith was one of the fathers of stride, and a member in good standing of a coterie of certified jazz legends. Throughout the album Smith reminisces about the pianists who congregated in New York and proceeded to revolutionize jazz. His recollections about the music of “my good friends and my pals” as he plays their music are priceless glimpses into the Jazz Age of the ‘20s and ‘30s.

The titles of the musical movements of “Actus tragicus” are taken from various passages of the Bible, as well as texts by Martin Luther, used in the cantata of the same name by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 106, also known as “Actus tragicus”). This is one of his earliest cantatas, written when Bach was only 22 years old. The bright, almost joyful nature of the music delights me, as well as the attitude to death it expresses, hence I decided to write my “own” Actus tragicus.