Giacomo Smith’s critically acclaimed outfit Kansas Smitty’s embark on a new chapter with a twist on their sound; modern jazz, African rhythms and classic cinema sculpt We’re Not In Kansas Anymore.
As the title suggests, We're Not In Kansas Anymore is the beginning of a new dawn for Kansas Smitty’s. Their fifth studio album marks a progression from their swing led palette, instead pulling inspiration from modern jazz, African rhythms and classic cinema. Kansas Smitty’s continues to be the primary outlet for bandleader, alto-saxophonist and clarinetist Giacomo Smith, a musician and producer whose tireless creativity continues to lift his reputation, recently producing albums for both Jamie Cullum and rising star Jas Kayser.
Smith and his Kansas Smitty’s bandmates have a delicate relationship with traditionalism; a deep enthusiasm for jazz and blues of the last century has always fed their creative output. That continues, but more subtly than before. Mood presides over structure, with a compositional shift that builds on the themes of their 2020 Ever Records release Things Happened Here drawing further on expansive progressive sounds to create a 21st century blues.
“I want people to feel a big range of emotion – I want people to see things”, says Smith. “There's joy and there's humour, but there's also spirituality. There's seriousness, there's loss and longing – and those are all there on purpose. We've experienced them as a collective and I’ve experienced them as an individual”.
The band’s fifth studio album marks ten years of Kansas Smitty’s, whose creativity has been felt through a number of mediums across the decade, whether that be with their intimate and much missed East London basement venue of the same name, or KSTV, the innovative livestream series which they produced through the pandemic which won a Jazz FM award for digital innovation.
We're Not In Kansas Anymore doesn’t just mark a new chapter for Giacomo Smith. It celebrates a decade of Kansas Smitty’s, a band whose distinctive voice continues to stand apart in an era defining jazz ressurange.