This piece was a labour of love and one of my first attempts to write something 'serious'. It was written as a tribute to the guitarist Johnny Smith, whose approach to the instrument continues to inspire me. In many ways this piece is a failure. It's not a great guitar piece, nor does really capture the type of music Smith gravitated to, or take full advantage of his voicings and style. But, this is what listening to him for hours on end inspired in me. Smith made me reconsider so many things about the guitar, particularly plectrum playing. He seemed to embody the American style of the guitar playing that is the standard for so many jazz players today. But Johnny Smith wasn't just a jazz player. He was a session musician and educator who played the parts his peers couldn't, and championed the amplified archtop guitar as a serious classical instrument. To this day he's still one of my greatest influences, and this is for him.