PAT SMYTHE QUARTET: NEW DAWN - LIVE 1973

3.5 stars. I knew nothing of Pat Smythe before picking this album up recently. A talented Jazz pianist from Scotland, he was quite active in the 60's and 70's. Sadly we have no studio albums to document his talents although in 2012 two archival live records were released from some 1967 shows. Then this archival release from France, also live, covering a couple of concerts this quartet did back in 1973. I knew I probably wasn't going to be too "into" this record considering the traditional jazz element, the double bass and lots of piano by band leader Smythe.

I was willing to drop some money on his despite these feelings because I wanted to hear Allan Holdsworth just prior to him joining SOFT MACHINE. These concerts were in the summer, in France, and he would join the mighty SOFT MACHINE later that December. Oh John Marshall is the drummer here! Yes that's the connection between Holdsworth and SOFT MACHINE, these two just really connected as friends and the rest is history. We get eight tracks and Smythe composed four of them while sharing a composition with Holdsworth who also wrote two himself with the other being a cover of a song by Brazilian singer and guitarist Edu Lobo.

So Holdworth clearly was into this and man what a performance! I have no other love/hate relationship with any other guitarist like I do with Holdsworth. Beyond talented. You should hear him on here, he is relentless. It just feels like he is continually noodling away at break neck speed. It's just incredible. The problem is I'm actually annoyed much of the time when listening to him here. The tone, the style. I much prefer him with SOFT MACHINE and some other things he was involved with like with Tony Williams for example.

But this is Jazz right? All about showing your skills, the solos on here are constant. There is so much clapping on here from the audience. They are an educated bunch who after every solo offer up a smattering of applause. There is a lot of those on here. John Marshall has to be the king of the drum solos and this document is no exception to this. So the music here is not in my wheel house with them having one foot still in the traditional jazz movement but you have to hear Holdsworth here, the guy is a machine. This is a long one at over 77 minutes.