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One of the great alto saxophonists to emerge from the swing era, Tab Smith had a few instrumental hit records for the United label in the 1950s and recorded extensively for the company. Crazy Walk is the fourth and final collection of all of his United recordings and, of the 24 selections, eight were previously unreleased. The music is mostly small-group swing, often with organist Sam Malone leading the backup group. While Smith’s playing of the time sometimes hinted a little at R&B, his gentle approach meant that he really was not a honker or screamer. The performances, which were meant for jukeboxes, are quite concise, with Smith getting in a few solo choruses before the songs end. Overall, this set and its three predecessors are enjoyable, and Delmark has done a perfect job of reissuing the now obscure music (Scott Yanow/AllMusic).

Track listing:

1 Hurricane T
2 Spider’s Web
3 Mean To Me
4 T.G. Blues
5 Fast Blues
6 Someone To Watch Over Me
7 Yo Yo Blues
8 Bounce Blues
9 Feel Like I Wanna Die
10 Caravan
11 Blues In My Heart
12 I Want You To Love Me
13 Soft Breeze
14 Slow Blues
15 Crazy Walk
16 Pretend
17 Pick Up On Tab, Pt.1
18 Stardust
19 Dansero
20 Alone With You
21 Pick Up On Tab, Pt.2
22 My Mother’s Eyes
23 Mambolino
24 Just One More Time

Personnel:

Tab Smith – alto saxophone

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Label: Delmark Records – DE-555
Series: The United Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2004