Terry Smith

Terry Smith's rare late-'60s LP was an accomplished set that showcased his fluid, modern bop-influenced jazz guitar in both big band and small combo settings. Smith plays much in the style of American guitarists working in similar territory during the period, such as Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. The arrangements and playing by the backing musicians on this album, recorded in London, are a little stiffer than what you'll hear on most U.S. sessions, but they get the job done tastefully enough. The vibe gets a little more uninhibited on the two tracks featuring just Smith, organist Bob Stuckley, and drummer Chris Karen. As those two tracks ("Fall Out" and "Early Morning Groove") are the only two Smith originals, one suspects that this is the kind of material that was closest to his heart at the time…

This lesser-known Clark Terry session (reissued on CD in the OJC series) has an unusual lineup with the flugelhornist joined by Don Butterfield on tuba, pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor. Butterfield has nearly as much solo space as C.T. (and is given a prominent role in the ensembles) while Jimmy Jones's chordal solos are somewhat eccentric. Terry is in fine form on a variety of blues, originals and obscurities along with the interesting versions of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "A Sunday Kind of Love" but the results overall are not all that significant. ~ AllMusic

„Live“ recording at his very best with top of the range LA based jazz musicians. These recordings show once again the abilities of Terry Gibbs as a master vibraphone player, bandleader, composer and arranger. Easy to get a long melodies with great swinging and grooving rhythms.

The Grascals' core — lead vocalist, fiddler, and mandolin player Jamie Johnson, guitarist Terry Eldredge, bass and guitar player Terry Smith, and guitar and mandolin player Danny Roberts — all knew each other as polished sidemen and formed the Grascals to step out front and grab some of the limelight themselves. When Dolly Parton heard the band laying down tracks for their self-titled debut, she hired them to be her backing band. Her vocals on their first single, a bluegrass version of "Viva Las Vegas," helped the song debut at number three on the country charts and earned them an invitation to play the Grand Ol' Opry. The band continues to confound expectations on The Famous Lefty Flynn's by opening the album with a blazing cover of the Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville." The track features tasty solos from the two new Grascals, Kristin Scott Benson, IMBA Banjo Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009, and fiddler Jeremy Abshire…….