TITLE: Blue Bassoon (Summit Records)

ARTIST: Daniel Smith

STARS: 2 Out of 5 Stars

SOUNDS LIKE: Traditional jazz with bassoon as lead instrument.

Some instruments like some people aren’t meant to lead in jazz. The bassoon is one such instrument.

Ordinarily, the bassoon, which is the largest of the woodwind instruments, is heard in symphony and classical settings. It’s full, heavy, deep-throated tone is has been compared to the male baritone voice.

On “Blue Bassoon,” Daniel Smith called “the greatest bassoon player of his generation” by the New York Daily News, puts the rarely heard instrument in a jazz setting with middling results.

It’s presence sounds as jarring as an early morning bugle call in such traditional jazz classics as “The Jody Grind” and “Billie’s Bounce.”

It’s simply hard to get used to the bassoon sound in the jazz context. It sounds gimmicky and at times almost cartoonish.

But its low, solemn tone seems to works better on mellower pieces like Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints.” On slower songs it has almost a baritone sax quality.

Where the sound doesn’t seem to work is on the more upbeat tunes which is most of the 13 songs on the album.

Listeners may get comfortable to a jazz bassoon after many listenings. Maybe.