Terrence Wintersmith: “A Walk In The Woods” (2019) CD Review

Terrence Wintersmith is certainly enjoying an interesting and eclectic career, as vocalist and pianist, as well as composer, having worked in the pop and country realms with a variety of artists, including Laura Branigan and Floyd Cramer. In more recent years, he has turned to jazz. His new release, A Walk In The Woods, features all original material, with different styles and moods. Most of the tracks on this EP are instrumentals, but two feature vocals. All tracks feature talented musicians.

A Walk In The Woods opens with its title track, the percussion at the beginning setting the location as someplace exotic, perhaps even mysterious. As soon as the track kicks in, we know we are in a place of beauty, a place without danger. If you are looking for an instrumental track to lift your spirits and get you back in touch with life, humanity, the universe and the great rhythm of it all, well, here it is. This tune makes me smile, sure, but it also somehow makes my entire body lighter, happier. How refreshing this is. Joining Terrence Wintersmith on this track are Carina Bruwer on flute, Zakhar Valahar on violin, Gergo Bille on flugelhorn and trumpet, and Larry Salzman on percussion. Terrence then changes gears with “Ridgetop,” a tune that has almost a cheesy pop element to it, but manages to avoid going too deeply in that direction, and instead develops a beauty. I love the way that horn soars in the second half. George Tidwell is on flugelhorn, Fred Bogert is on guitar, Dave Pomeroy is bass, and Chester Thompson is on drums. This disc then goes in yet another direction, this time to a cool, kind of relaxed jazzy guitar piece, “I’m Always Dreaming.” Marcel Camargo delivers some wonderful stuff on guitar, while Eivind Opsvik provides some good work on double bass, and Brian Griffin keeps the mellow groove on drums.

“Jumping And Jiving” is one of two tracks on this EP to feature vocals, and they have a delicious style, almost like you’d expect them to be performed a cappella. The vocals are performed by Terrence Wintersmith, Patricia Lee and David E. Greene. This is a song about days gone by, and the sound fits well with its subject. “Back in the days when they were jumping and jiving/To a twenty-piece band and a drummer that laid it down/There was a beat/On every street/Swing was the king uptown.” I love Jeff Coffin’s work on saxophone. Plus, this track features some cool work by Frederick Boyle on keys. Tom Roady is on percussion. That’s followed by “A Vida Que Eu Sonhei,” the other track to feature vocals, this time by Jessica Jeza Vauter. This one has quite a different feel, with a Latin groove and a pleasant sound on keys. Bruno Elizabetsky delivers some pretty work on guitar, and Chris White adds some nice touches on saxophone. The EP then concludes with “Amalfi,” which has a pleasing and positive vibe, the flute sounding like sunlight playing in a garden. That is Carina Bruwer again on flute. Terrence Wintersmith’s work on piano is at the heart of the piece. This track has a relaxing effect, as if removing our burdens and taking our hand to lead us somewhere beautiful.

CD Track List

1. A Walk In The Woods
2. Ridgetop
3. I’m Always Dreaming
4. Jumping And Jiving
5. A Vida Que Eu Sonhei
6. Amalfi

A Walk In The Woods was released on October 15. 2019.