The third album of the Paul Smoker Trio.

Track 1: Prelude: Around the Corner (Rohovit/Haynes)
Track 2: Alone (Haynes)
Track 3: Spektra (Smoker/Rohovit/Haynes)
Track 4: Mingus Amongus (Smoker)
Track 5: Cornet Chop Suey (Louis Armstrong)
Track 6: Caravan (Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington)
Track 7: Postlude: Wow Wow (Smoker/Rohovit/Haynes)

(Paid downloads include the full seven-track album, with "Cornet Chop Suey" (Louis Armstrong) and "Caravan" (Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington) in addition to the five originals.)

"The rhythmic interplay between Smoker and his powerhouse drummer, Phil Haynes, is almost telepathic — they can follow each other anywhere." — Kevin Whitehead on Fresh Air (freshairarchive.org/segments/trumpeter-and-cornetist-paul-smoker-featured-two-new-albums)

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“The title of the LP is somewhat misleading, for Alone does not revolve ev en slightly around soloistic flights from the bandleader. On the contrary, on both sides the trio is so impermeably together, the collective music-making so emphatically the focus, that even the concept of ‘bandleader’ seems inapplicable to the musical results.

“Along with the unified integrity of the trio, one is struck above all by the broad musical scope of the three: their musical arch spans from the 1920’s Armstrong classic, Cornet Chop Suey, over the Ellington standard, Caravan, to the Free Jazz influenced original compositions. It is particularly with the fore-mentioned classics that the musical independence of the trio becomes significant. One hears no parody, no lack of taste; rather, the traditional references become reworked with stylistic means of the ‘80’s. In contrast to so many other free adaptations of standards, the themes never become unrecognizably garbled, but remain a constant basis for another musical statement. Both pieces assume a new dimension with the interpretations by the trio. In the realm of World Music, one would speak of a standard-setting performance ensemble.

“Although Alone is my personal favorite, the same qualities of excellence extend to the other titles of this LP, so I must speak of it as one of the outstanding productions of the year.” — Frank Schraven in Jazzthetik (July 8, 1988)

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“Never short of imagination, these musicians know how to combine power and velocity with musicality.” — Gustavo Cerutti, Jazz 360º (Switzerland)


“The history of jazz from traditional to the avant garde, so that one’s breath stands still.” — Jochen Becker, Metropol-Gesellschaft ([West] Germany)