Bebopping bassoonist Daniel Smith has definitely cornered the market on this unwieldy double reeded monster. He’s put out a couple of other discs, which show the strengths and weaknesses of this instrument. Teamed with an adroit group of Daniel Kelly/p, Michael O’Brien/b , Vincent Ector/dr and Neil Clarke/perc, Smith shows his technical wizardry on jaw dropping takes of “Mr. Kenyatta” and “Yardbird Suite.” O’Brien’s bass is given lots of room, and he makes the band snap on “So Danco Samba.” The problem is that the bassoon, while delivering a plethora of amazing notes and phrases, has almost no change in dynamics, which Smith can get away with on a tune like “Black Orpheus” but comes off as monochromatic on something like “Watermelon Man.” If you want chops, here’s the place. Sort of like choosing Anita O’Day over Billie Holiday.
Summit Records
www.summitrecords.com