Steel-String Guitarist Is Making Some Waves

Two years ago, San Diego musician John Archer, one half of the pop jazz band Checkfield, took a job as a producer with American Gramaphone Records in Omaha, Neb. His job is to drum up new projects for the label, and one of his best finds so far is steel-string guitarist Doug Smith, who plays the B Street Cafe in downtown San Diego on Wednesday night at 8.

His music draws more from folk and classical roots than it does from jazz, and he cites Chet Atkins, Alex de Grassi, John Renbourn and Michael Hedges as his influences. Smith’s songs are tightly arranged, without improvisation, but the guitarist relies heavily upon improvisation during the songwriting process. Smith is that rare artist who successfully walks a narrow line between intelligent invention and mass appeal.

Archer came across Smith, who lives in Mulino, a small rural town outside Portland, Ore., by chance, when a mutual friend passed Archer a cassette.

“He’s such a fabulous technician and player, and he has such a great feel for the steel-string guitar,” Archer said. “I’ve dabbled in steel string all my life, and I just love what he does. He does things with the instrument that I’ve only dreamed of doing.”

Smith’s first release, “Order of Magnitude,” came out last year. Originally, Smith saw himself as a solo act, but Archer, who has a flair for precise studio production, convinced his discovery to arrange some songs for multiple instruments.

Smith’s new second recording, “Labyrinth,” also includes a mix of solo and multi-instrumental songs, all carried by Smith’s beautiful acoustic guitar. Like Renbourn, one of his main role models, Smith varies the tunings of his guitar to achieve a rich, resonant sound.

All of the songs on “Labyrinth” were written by Smith, apparently a prolific composer.

“When we started this album, I told him we needed material in about three months,” Archer said. “A month and a half later, he had 40 songs, any one of which could have gone on the album.”

Among musicians helping Smith out on “Labyrinth” are San Diego jazz players Ron Satterfield (piano) and Duncan Moore (drums). Satterfield is Archer’s soulmate in Checkfield, which has recorded four albums for American Gramaphone, the last being 1990’s “A View From the Edge.”

Archer has been too busy with other American Gramaphone projects to pursue a new Checkfield recording but says he and Satterfield hope to make one eventually.

Meanwhile, another of Archer’s main projects at the label is “Day Parts,” a series of themed recordings with titles such as “Dinner” and “Sunday Morning Coffee.” Released last fall, “Coffee,” which includes two cuts by Smith, has sold more than 100,000 copies, and Archer is now at work on its follow-up: “Romance.”

Guitarist Al Di Meola ripped light-jazz radio during an interview with Art Good that aired May 17 during Good’s “Lites Out Jazz” program on KIFM (98.1). And Good, probably not wanting to alienate either his guest or listeners, flip-flopped sides like a good politician. During the interview, taped during the guitarist’s May 1 shows at Sound FX, Good seemed, at times, to agree with Di Meola. But when Good introduced segments of the interview during his show two weeks later, he acted offended by Di Meola’s remarks.

Before one, Good said Di Meola’s comments “left me a little disturbed.” Di Meola, whose two new albums, “World Sinfonia” and “Kiss My Axe,” are among his strongest ever, complained about not getting radio air time. But, in a harsh criticism during the introduction, Good indicated the guitarist has only himself to blame for the lack of play. Most of the music just isn’t suitable--i.e. simple enough--for KIFM’s audience, Good intimated. He said he “had to be very selective” in finding appropriate Di Meola cuts to play, because much of the music gets “complicated” and “strays from the melody. . . . It doesn’t translate well to a radio audience that must be kept from drifting.”

Di Meola countered with his opinions of some of the stuff that does get regular play on KIFM. He doesn’t much care for “nouveau flamenco” guitarist Ottmar Liebert, although he likes Strunz and Farah, the guitar duo. He said their music is “not lame . . . . But the backing is very shallow. The rhythm section is very safe, it stays at one dynamic level. There’s no rhythmic fire.” Good, departing from the tone of his introductory remarks and longstanding support of Strunz and Farah, seemed to agree. “They must have gotten frustrated,” he explained, trying to cozy up to his guest “because they had much more adventurous stuff before.”

What did all this say about Good’s true opinions of music? Not much. If he truly likes some more adventurous sounds, as he implied to Di Meola, he could expand his listeners’ horizons by playing some. If not, he should have been honest enough to tell Di Meola directly, instead of behind his back, that the guitarist’s music is too rowdy and intelligent for KIFM.

RIFFS: Ryan Kisor, the 16-year-old jazz trumpet phenom whose debut recording, “Minor Mutiny,” was released three months ago, will be interviewed on KSDS-FM (88.3) Friday afternoon at 1 o’clock. In 1990, Kisor placed first in the Louis Armstrong Trumpet Competition at Thelonious Monk Institute in Washington. Kisor’s interview will be preceded by a noon interview with pianist Benny Green. . . .

Doug Smith (see above) plays a guitar with roundabout local roots. His instrument was made by Goodall Guitars of Fort Bragg, Calif., a company started by James Goodall, who learned his craft by hanging out at Taylor Guitars when he lived near the Taylor shop in Lemon Grove (it has since moved to Santee and will relocate again to El Cajon in July). . . .

Wednesday night jazz at the Horton Grand Hotel is on summer vacation but will return in late August, when Thursdays will be added to give the hotel four nights of jazz every week (Wednesday through Saturday). . . .

Rusefest ‘92, the innovative, under-appreciated series at the Ruse performance space on India Street in San Diego, closes this weekend with performances Friday night by Mungus, playing music by Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, and Saturday night by top San Diego saxman Daniel Jackson, backed by a band including crack bassist Marshall Hawkins.

CRITIC’S CHOICE: A BUSY SCHEDULE FOR LOWE

Unlike some of his noteworthy local peers, who tend to hide out when they’re in town, guitarist Mundell Lowe has become an important mainstay of San Diego’s live jazz scene since moving here in 1989. On Friday and Saturday nights, he will play the Horton Grand Hotel in downtown San Diego.

It has been a busy year for Lowe, who plays on two new CDs. “Old Friends” is a collaboration with longtime musical associates Andre Previn and Ray Brown, recorded live at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego last October. “The Song Is You” is the newest from his wife, singer Betty Bennett, and it features Lowe’s guitar. Bennett will be on hand Saturday night to sing several of the songs from her recording. Lowe will be joined both nights by bassist Bob Magnusson and pianist Mike Wofford.

This may be one of Lowe’s few spring/summer performances in San Diego, since he will spend a good portion of the next several months touring the United States, Europe and Japan.