Gary Smulyan

Gary Smulyan is a world-class musician whose affinity for the baritone saxophone is legendary and peppered with accolades too numerous to mention. This trio concert took place in 2011 with bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Billy Drummond (no relation). It’s an especially important entry to the VJC’s Gems From the Archive series because Ray passed away in November of 2025. In a conversation with our colleague, bassist Steve Cady, he mentioned that, although Ray wasn’t one of the most familiar names in the music, he appears on over 300 recordings and his elevated prestige amongst other bassists was well-deserved and undeniable. I was fortunate to have heard him numerous times at Bradley’s, especially in the company of Kenny Barron. In this concert, the trio here plays with such ease and charisma. Smulyan is an old-school bandleader, strongly starting out on tunes and waiting for the others to jump in. There are lots of features for each individual to shine. The setlist includes numbers from the jazz canon such as Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” and Monk’s “Epistrophy.” Also included are classics from the Great American Songbook, as well as “contrafacts,” new melodies composed over the harmony and form of jazz standards.

~ Eugene Uman