Personnel: Tab Smith (alto & tenor saxophone, vocals); Louis Blackwell (vocals); Leon Washington, Charles Wright (tenor saxophone); Irving Woods, Sammy Cohn (trumpet); Lavern Dillon, Teddy Brannon (piano); Wilfred Middlebrooks (bass); Walter Johnson (drums).
Reissue producer: Robert G. Koester
This CD contains 20 tracks (5 previously unreleased) recorded in Chicago between February 1952 and April 1953. Includes liner notes by Tim Price.
During 1951-57, Tab Smith recorded extensively for the United label, and although he was initially popular (due to the hit record "Because of You"), nearly half of the 90 titles he cut went unissued. Delmark in their Tab Smith CD series plans to eventually come out with all of the performances. Their second Tab Smith release has 20 selections, including five songs being released for the first time. Smith, a former swing stylist who was best known in the R&B market during the 1950s, was not a honker like many others in the genre, and his mixture of relatively gentle stomps and ballads is appealing. The distinctive altoist (who takes four vocals) is often joined by Sonny Cohn (mistakenly listed as "Sammy Cohn") or Irving Woods on trumpet and Leon Washington or Charlie Wright on tenor, along with a rocking rhythm section, on four complete sessions from 1952-53. Fun if not essential music. ~ Scott Yanow
Professional Reviews
Option (Sept.-Oct./92, p.128) - "...ACE HIGH offers a nicely balanced program, covering Basie-ish swing pieces, popular ballads, a few uptempo R&B numbers and even five vocals..."
