Recent Press Cuttings

The Daniel Smith Blues Band
Woodborough Village Hall, Nottingham December 2005
Blues In Britain

I'd wager that the capacity crowd at this event contained a fair number of blues virgins and that a majority would not count themselves as blues fans. 1 understand the idea is to bring music to rural communities that might not otherwise have access to it and, judging by the number of dancers and the standing ovation at the end, the four performers should congratulate themselves on a job well done.

Daniel (keyboard, vocals), Jon 'T-Bone'Taylor (guitar), George Pearson (bass, vocals) and Damon Sawyer (drums) kicked off with a fast shuffle and individual solos showcasing each player in turn. "Kansas City", Jimmy McGriff style organ fills and fluid guitar, preceded an impromptu "Woodborough Boogie" and a highly syncopated version of Willie Dixon's "My Babe". Daniel's classy arpeggios and cascades featured on "Fast Train Boogie" over solid bass and rhythm guitar, before a masterly Brazilian rumba style drum solo. Slow blues is the measure of any band and Daniel's own "Just Because" was delightful, Jon's sweet jazzy style blending beautifully with the piano, but the deliberate discords were just as effective. George took over vocals on Robert Johnson's "Rambling On My Mind", playing rhythm guitar for some nice interaction with Jon's lead. An exciting John Lee Hooker style boogie gave way to the double whammy of Sam the Sham's "Woolly Bully" and Booker T's "Green Onions", both given an enjoyably dirty edge. Contrast came with the fluent classical piano intro to Smith's rocker "Playing Your Fool". Then the band got serious with Hobert Lockwood's "Take A Walk With Me" simultaneously swinging and rocking, Jon carrying off an impressive Buddy Guy style walkabout and some great, double-speed playing recalling Roy Buchanan. There was something for everyone in the second half: a bossa nova, a superb "Sitting On Top Of The World", a New Orleans style "Friday Night", more classical piano with "Fur Elise" undergoing astounding jazzy mutation and lots more. A real party atmosphere developed and the space at the front packed with dancers. The evening was a resounding success and converted many to the blues.

Dave Kingsbury

Daniel Smith at The Devizes Festival
The Devizes Gazette 'A Breath Of Fresh Air'

This year's Devizes Festival was by far the best since it started. The wildly enthusiastic public response has been overwhelming.

One of the highlights was the dazzlingly accomplished boogie woogie piano playing of Daniel Smith, who entertained a packed audience with a virtuoso performance.

Playing a wide range of music from Clarence Pinetop Smith and Albert Ammons to Jools Holland, this star of the piano had people whooping with joy and pleasure at his playing.

With his left hand laying down a rock solid beat and his right hand improvising the impossible runs, this was musicianship of the highest quality.

The Daniel Smith Blues Band
Bluesnights at Dorchester Arts Centre 2004
Blues In Britain

We had great pleasure in inviting Daniel Smith to our venue for his second appearance. In the three years since his first visit his status within the British blues scene has grown considerably, helped by a mixture of high profile appearances - e.g. the Edinburgh Festival, BBC Radio - coupled with the all important relentless gigging.

I had been singularly impressed by his first concert, and was not disappointed by this second. This man has an incredible dexterity; his hands just flow up and down the keyboard with what seems effortless mastery. His richly varied repertoire consists of blues, boogie, and plenty of his own compositions. Aiding Daniel in the delivery of them are a superb rhythm section: Jim Mercer (ex-Paul Lamb) on double and electric bass, Dino Coccia on drums and Alan Glen (ex Yardbirds, Dr. Feelgood and Nine Below Zero) on guitar, harp and vocals. Dino and Alan are, of course, well known for being two-thirds of the blues/jazz trio The Barcodes.

"Southside Boogie", an instrumental, set the tone for the evening. A smooth accomplished work giving the audience a clear indication of what to expect. Straight into a fast paced boogie, phenomenal hand techniques and a bass solo to go with it. One after the other - Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann, Little Walter Jacobs - this band was swinging, rolling, and boogying as tight as you could get. Sitting there watching and listening, letting this superb musicianship unfold in front of us was a real joy. Daniel engaged his audience with plenty of dry asides and anecdotes cementing his relationship with them. A truly wonderful first set.

The second set started with "Boogie Bash", one of Daniel's own numbers, a rocking swinger featuring a short sharp harp solo from Alan Glen. The following number was an extended instrumental with very interesting mood changes and rhythms. One number that really stood out was "Dreamtime", the title track from the current album, and played unusually in the key of E Flat. This was absolutely beautiful, very moody and haunting! The next number showcased the talents of Jim Mercer on his arrangement of Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Highway 61". With Jim taking the vocals and providing a real driving bass line they were off into a really superb R&B workout. These last two numbers were certainly the high point of the evening for me and it also showed how versatile they are as a band. Some Howling Wolf and Meade Lux Lewis followed and a thoroughly deserved encore where Jim showed us how to play the bass lying down with him reclining along the body of the instrument. All good fun and it rounded off an especially wonderful evening of first class entertainment. To be honest I don't think it can get much better than this! If you haven't seen them yet then you should make an effort to do so!

Lewis A Harris