Sweet Smoke – Just A Poke 1970 (USA, Psychedelic-Jazz Rock)

Sweet Smoke – Just A Poke 1970 (USA, Psychedelic-Jazz Rock)

The debut album by the psychedelic jazz-rock band Sweet Smoke, formed in 1968 in Brooklyn, New York City, by several young musicians from three local bands. The original name was longer and self-explanatory: "Sweet Smoke Of The Happy Plant Pipeful." This name (very typical for the time) was coined by the band's drummer, Jay Dorfman, but in everyday life it was quickly shortened to just "Sweet Smoke." A single audition at the New York club "Cafe Wha?" proved crucial for the then-unprofessional band. The club's managers occasionally offered free gigs to local bands, as even unknown acts were lucky enough to be featured in the trendy Greenwich Village neighborhood. One of the managers at Cafe Wha? owned two clubs in the Caribbean: one in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the other in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. This manager immediately offered Sweet Smoke a gig on the islands if they performed well at Cafe Wha?. Sweet Smoke absolutely rocked the place that night, one of the best nights they'd ever played, and the manager kept his promise. But there was a small snag. It was March, the middle of the school year, and three of Sweet Smoke's members—Mike, Marvin, and Jay—were in college. Leaving meant dropping out, so they made their choice—they left. They spent three months on the islands, playing six nights a week for six hours a night. These island paradises proved to be for Sweet Smoke what Hamburg was for the Beatles—the place where the band was born. Lounging on the world's finest beaches, the guys pondered their future, and after such a rosy start, they weren't smitten with the prospect of returning to Brooklyn and living with their parents. A stunning solution—leaving for Europe—came from saxophonist Michael Paris, whose very name—Paris—seemed to evoke his roots. Mike was persistent, and the warm breezes and gentle waves of the Caribbean completed the enchanting effect—everyone agreed. It was 1968, and anything seemed possible. At the end of the year, Mike, Andy Dershin (bass guitar), and their old friend Marty bought one-way tickets to Southampton, England, and flew off. Drummer Jay Dorfman and lead guitarist Marvin Kaminowitz joined them a little later.
01. Silly Sally — 0:00

02. Baby Night — 16:28


Personnel:

Michael Paris – tenor saxophone, alto recorder, vocals, percussion
Steve Rosenstein – rhythm guitar, vocals
Andy Dershin – bass
Marvin Kaminowitz – lead guitar (solo guitar), vocals
Jay Dorfman – drums, percussion
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Rosie Schmitz, Winfried Ebert – producers


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