The great prog-jazz rock band Sweet Smoke was founded in the mid-60s in New York. 1969 attracted the band members then to Germany, here also the two albums Just A Poke (1970) and Darkness to Light (1972) were included. The debut album Just A Poke is characterized in that it consists of only two songs (!!!). Each of the two pieces is sixteen and a half minutes long, and filled an entire original records page. However, the two overlong songs are endless consuming arranged (especially the first piece, "Baby Night"), the technical skills of the band has been well documented. "Baby Night" is a fantastic piece and certainly Sweet Smokes greatest work. A hammer thing with quiet, then loud again, noisy passages, great solos, many instruments and often changing rhythm. The perfect example of how great music can ever be! The second long piece, "Silly Sally", is much more jazzy - not as brilliant as the first, but still strong and even with a unique drum solo. The great cover of the album also still fits perfectly with the music! Darkness to Light, the second album, was recorded after a trip to India in 1972. It consisted of six songs, four of which were ("Just Another Empty Dream", "I'd Rather Burn Than Disappear", "Believe Me My Friends" and "Show Me The Way To The War") with lengths of four or five Minutes relatively short. All four songs are quite strong, have great melodies. With Jazz they have not much to do, they could rather be described as progressive folk. The remaining two songs are getting longer. "Kundalini" is clearly influenced by the India trip, lyre-like and a little too long piece that does not reach the level of the other. "Darkness to Light" but then again shows Sweet Smoke in top form - by a mad melody, a great package and jazzy improvisations generated a great atmosphere, which acts on the handset. A very nice album! Sweet Smoke sound more like a British prog band than as an American band. Precisely for this reason they should fans of bands like Caravan, King Crimson and perhaps Traffic lie. Such original music heard in any case in any prog collection !!!!!!!!
