CD RELEASE INFO :

'Caliente & Cool' (pms10101)
Peter Smith Quartet
[Jazz, Latin instrumental]

September 7 1998

'Caliente & Cool' is the 1998 CD release of saxophonist Peter Smith. Doubling on flute and clarinet, Peter is a graduate of the jazz program at U of T ('95) and former student at Humber College. His combos can be heard at clubs and special events in and around Toronto.

The CD comprises two styles of jazz.

Caliente (Spanish for 'hot') makes up the bulk of the album and was recorded in May of 1998. It features Kevin Laliberte (Toronto) on acoustic guitar, Drew Birston(Winnipeg) on double bass, Rodrigo Chavez (Chile) on congas and percussion (notably the south American 'box' (Nardis)). This gives the session a decidedly acoustic feel, with Peter performing half the Latin-oriented tunes on flute. The drum kit of Peter Shea (St. Catherine's) is heard on one track.

While all of the Caliente portion was recorded 'live in the studio', there were, by necessity, overdubs of percussion parts and guitar solos, as well as horn harmonies. The sound ranges then from the very simple trio of 11 Songo Blues (composed by Toronto's Eduardo Lis) to the out and out arrangement of Killer Joe.

The Cool half of the CD is the best of several older recording dates never issued on compact disc. Again featuring Kevin Laliberte (on electric guitar in this setting) it includes trio selections with Andrew Downing (Toronto) on bass and one quartet track with Michael McClennan (Toronto) on bass and Scott Annandale (Toronto) playing drums.

Peter plays tenor on these jazz standards while Kevin's guitar and the absence of drums on all but one track are in keeping with the overall 'light' feel of this release.