A word $sigma=sigma_1...sigma_n$ over the alphabet $[k]={1,2,...,k}$ is said to be {em smooth} if there are no two adjacent letters with difference greater than 1. A word $sigma$ is said to be {em smooth cyclic} if it is a smooth word and in addition
satisfies $|sigma_n-sigma_1|le 1$. We find the explicit generating functions for the number of smooth words and cyclic smooth words in $[k]^n$, in terms of {it Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind}. Additionally, we find explicit formula for the numbers themselves, as trigonometric sums. These lead to immediate asymptotic corollaries. We also enumerate smooth necklaces, which are cyclic smooth words that are not equivalent up to rotation.
A set partition is said to be $(k,d)$-noncrossing if it avoids the pattern $12... k12... d$. We find an explicit formula for the ordinary generating function of the number of $(k,d)$-noncrossing partitions of ${1,2,...,n}$ when $d=1,2$.
The generating function and an explicit expression is derived for the (colored) Motzkin numbers of higher rank introduced recently. Considering the special case of rank one yields the corresponding results for the conventional colored Motzkin numbers
for which in addition a recursion relation is given.
Recently, Bagno, Garber and Mansour studied a kind of excedance number on the complex reflection groups and computed its multidistribution with the number of fixed points on the set of involutions in these groups. In this note, we consider the simila
r problems in more general cases and make a correction of one result obtained by them.
