Moonlight in Vermont (album)
| Moonlight in Vermont | ||||
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| Studio album by Johnny Smith | ||||
| Released | September 1956 | |||
| Recorded | March 1952 – August 1953 | |||
| Genre | Cool jazz | |||
| Label | Roost | |||
| Producer | Teddy Reig | |||
| Johnny Smith chronology | ||||
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| Stan Getz chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic (CD Reissue) |  |
Moonlight in Vermont is a 1956 compilation album by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, featuring tenor saxophonist Stan Getz. The material on the album was recorded between 1952 and 1953, and was drawn from two 10-inch Lps, both titled "Jazz at NBC", which were previously issued by the Royal Roost label. Titled for Smith's breakthrough hit song, it was the No.1 Jazz Album for 1956. It was popularly and critically well received and has come to be regarded as an important album in Smith's discography, in the cool jazz genre and in the evolution of jazz guitar. Notable songs on the album, which reveal the influence of Smith's experiences with the NBC Studio Orchestra, and as a multi-instrument musician, include the title track and the original composition "Jaguar". The title track, singled out for its virtuosity, was a highly influential rendition of a jazz standard that secured Smith's position in the public eye.
Originally released on Roost Records, the album was reissued in significantly expanded form by Roulette Records in 1994, with more material including a previously unreleased version of "Jaguar".
Well-received, the album became the #1 Jazz Album for 1956, a position it attained, according to the retrospective book Gibson Electrics, as an "overnight best-seller capturing the essence of the cool jazz era". Critically regarded as one of the defining albums of cool jazz, it is listed in A Concise History of Electric Guitar among those few recordings which "firmly established" the electric guitar's "sound in popular culture, elevating it from the dark dissonance of bebop jazz to the more consonant textures of a rapidly developing style called western swing".Guitar World characterizes it as Smith's "classic album".
Most notable among the album's songs is the title track, "Moonlight in Vermont", a rendition of a John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf standard. According to Getz biographer Dave Gelly, the song became an "unexpected hit", an unusual occurrence in jazz music, remaining on the charts for months. It was for this rendition that Smith earned the title "King of Cool Jazz Guitar". "Moonlight in Vermont" was Smith's breakthrough song, launching him into public awareness. It also increased the profile of Getz and resulted in his receiving a contract from renowned jazz producer Norman Granz. Contrary to popular belief, it was the 1952 release of the single, rather than the 1956 release of the compilation album, which was Down Beat magazine's number two record of the year
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