"Smoke Stack" is a blues in F composed by Johnny Griffin for his 1957 album A Blowing Session, an extended performance that showcases seven soloists in succession. The track opens with Wynton Kelly's two-chorus piano introduction before Griffin enters with nine commanding choruses of tenor saxophone that establish his dominance as the session leader. Lee Morgan follows with ten spirited trumpet choruses at an accelerating tempo. Hank Mobley contributes eight choruses of tenor saxophone in his characteristically smooth, melodic style. John Coltrane delivers seven intense choruses that bring his distinctive harmonic density to the blues form. Kelly returns for four more choruses of swinging piano, and Paul Chambers closes with four choruses of acoustic bass improvisation. The performance, stretching to over nine minutes, captures the essence of the hard bop blowing session format, where musicians took extended turns over simple harmonic frameworks, each soloist feeding off the energy generated by their predecessors. At approximately 224 beats per minute, the tempo maintains a driving forward momentum throughout. The gradual acceleration across the performance, reaching 247 beats per minute by Kelly's second solo, reflects the building excitement of a live-in-the-studio jam. Art Blakey's drumming provides a relentless rhythmic foundation that propels each soloist forward, his explosive fills and insistent ride cymbal creating the kind of supportive yet challenging accompaniment for which he was legendary.
