Michael S. Smith
Encyclopedia
Michael Scott Smith was an American
jazz
drummer
and percussionist.
area for most of his 40-year career, Smith played with many jazz greats including Dave Liebman
, Herbie Hancock
, John Abercrombie
, Randy Brecker
, Tommy Flanagan
, Billy Eckstein, Astrud Gilberto
, Freddie Hubbard
, Herb Ellis
, and Milt Jackson
.
He grew up in Meadville, Pennsylvania
where his father exposed him to jazz at an early age. At age 8, Smith began taking drum lessons from local jazz drummer, Cootie Harris. His father and Harris took young Smith to local jam sessions throughout Northwestern PA.
Smith's early influences included drummers Art Blakey
and Philly Joe Jones
. Inspired by the playing of young prodigy Tony Williams, Smith developed his own style using polyrhythms, metric modulation, and intricate cymbal work that would define his playing for the rest of his career.
As a student at Youngstown State University
from 1964 to 1966, Smith played gigs in and around Youngstown
and Pittsburgh, most notably with pianists Gene Rush and Harold Danko
, and cellist Abdul Wadud
. He recorded a demo tape with Danko and Wadud that was submitted to Down Beat
magazine as a contest entry.
In 1967, Smith transferred to Howard University
in Washington D.C. where he began his playing career in ernest. He was tapped to play with jazz pianist Bobby Timmons
at the famed Bohemian Caverns
jazz club.
He soon got the attention of other well-known jazz musicians, including vibraphonist Gary Burton
. Burton asked him to join his ensemble on tour, but Smith declined due to fear of being drafted and sent to Vietnam
. Smith dropped out of Howard in 1968, was immediately drafted, then classified as 4-F due to a history of migraine
headaches.
He joined his friend, bassist Terry Plumeri
in the group, Love, Cry, Want, a free-improvisation group with jazz, blues, and rock influences. Smith eventually recorded with Plumeri on two albums, He Who Lives In Many Places (1971) featuring Herbie Hancock
and John Abercrombie
, and Water Garden (1978) (formerly titled Ongoing) with Abercrombie, Ralph Towner
, and the National Symphony String Quartet. In 2007, these two albums were re-issued on CD by GMMC records.
Smith helped form the ambient music
group, The Entourage Music And Theater Ensemble
with Joe Clark, Rusti Clark, and Wall Matthews. This group made two recordings for Folkways Records
and performed in theaters in combination with dance ensembles. In 2003, the electronic music artist Four Tet
sampled, without permission, the Entourage composition, "Neptune Rising", and used it as the basis for the hit single, "She Moves She." Smith (and Matthews) later received a royalty payment from Four Tet for the use of the copyrighted material.
He toured nationally with Roberta Flack
from 1971 to 1972, but found the rigors of touring to be exhausting. He left Flack's band and returned to his home base in Washington D.C. where he performed and recorded with local jazz musicians. The Washington Post included Smith in its 1974 Who's Who of D.C. artists and musicians.
In 1977, Smith traveled to Germany to record with pianist Steve Kuhn
, bassist Harvie Swartz
, and saxophonist Steve Slagle
. The resulting recording was the critically successful LP, Steve Kuhn & Ecstasy - Motility on the ECM Records label. In 1984, he recorded with pianist/bassist Don Thompson
on his Juno Award
-winning LP, A Beautiful Friendship. He toured Europe and appeared with pianist Adam Makowicz
at the North Sea Jazz Festival
in 1986 and 1987 playing to large appreciative crowds.
During the 1980s, Smith was the go-to drummer for saxophonist Dave Liebman
and singer/song writer Mose Allison
whenever they came to Washington.
From 1987 to 2005, Smith continued to play jazz clubs and record with local jazz musicians, most notably in a trio with pianist David Kane and bassist Drew Gress
.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer
in late 2003. His last recording was with David Kane, Drew Gress, and Dave Liebman on Kane's CD, Grey Matters (2005). Although suffering from walking pneumonia and severe bone pain, his performance during this session was not noticeably affected. The effects of prostate cancer eventually sidelined Smith in November 2005 and he died on January 2, 2006. A tribute to Smith was held at the renowned jazz club, Blues Alley
on January 10, 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
and percussionist.
Career
Based in the Washington D.C. - BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
area for most of his 40-year career, Smith played with many jazz greats including Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
, Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
, Billy Eckstein, Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She is well known for the Grammy Award-winning song "The Girl from Ipanema".-Biography:...
, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, Herb Ellis
Herb Ellis
Mitchell Herbert "Herb" Ellis was an American jazz guitarist. Perhaps best known for his 1950s membership in the trio of pianist Oscar Peterson, Ellis was also a staple of west-coast studio recording sessions, and was described by critic Scott Yanow as "an excellent bop-based guitarist with a...
, and Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
.
He grew up in Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
where his father exposed him to jazz at an early age. At age 8, Smith began taking drum lessons from local jazz drummer, Cootie Harris. His father and Harris took young Smith to local jam sessions throughout Northwestern PA.
Smith's early influences included drummers Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
and Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
. Inspired by the playing of young prodigy Tony Williams, Smith developed his own style using polyrhythms, metric modulation, and intricate cymbal work that would define his playing for the rest of his career.
As a student at Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
from 1964 to 1966, Smith played gigs in and around Youngstown
Youngstown
Youngstown may refer to:A place*Canada**Britannia Youngstown, Edmonton, Alberta**Youngstown, Alberta*United States**Youngstown, Florida**Youngstown, Indiana**Youngstown, New York**Youngstown, Ohio***Youngstown State University...
and Pittsburgh, most notably with pianists Gene Rush and Harold Danko
Harold Danko
Harold Danko is an American jazz pianist.Danko attended Youngstown State University. Among his credits are work in the big bands of Chet Baker, Woody Herman, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, as well as smaller ensembles with Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz...
, and cellist Abdul Wadud
Abdul Wadud (musician)
Abdul Wadud , is an American cellist known for his work in jazz and classical settings.His son Is R&B Singer Raheem DeVaughn.-As leader:*1977: By Myself Bishara...
. He recorded a demo tape with Danko and Wadud that was submitted to Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine as a contest entry.
In 1967, Smith transferred to Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington D.C. where he began his playing career in ernest. He was tapped to play with jazz pianist Bobby Timmons
Bobby Timmons
Robert Henry "Bobby" Timmons was an African American jazz pianist and composer.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is best known for his role as sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the composition of "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here", each of which are typical of his...
at the famed Bohemian Caverns
Bohemian Caverns
The Bohemian Caverns, founded in 1926 , is a restaurant and jazz nightclub located at 11th Street and U Street NW in Washington, D.C.The club started out as Club Caverns - a small establishment in the basement of a drugstore - famous for its floor and variety shows...
jazz club.
He soon got the attention of other well-known jazz musicians, including vibraphonist Gary Burton
Gary Burton
Gary Burton is an American jazz vibraphonist.A true original on the vibraphone, Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the usual two-mallets. This approach caused Burton to be heralded as an innovator and his sound and technique are widely imitated...
. Burton asked him to join his ensemble on tour, but Smith declined due to fear of being drafted and sent to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Smith dropped out of Howard in 1968, was immediately drafted, then classified as 4-F due to a history of migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
headaches.
He joined his friend, bassist Terry Plumeri
Terry Plumeri
Terry Plumeri is an American classical composer, film composer, conductor, double bassist, lecturer, and producer.-Selected discography:* He Who Lives in Many Places...
in the group, Love, Cry, Want, a free-improvisation group with jazz, blues, and rock influences. Smith eventually recorded with Plumeri on two albums, He Who Lives In Many Places (1971) featuring Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
and John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, and Water Garden (1978) (formerly titled Ongoing) with Abercrombie, Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner
Ralph Towner is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion and trumpet.-Biography:...
, and the National Symphony String Quartet. In 2007, these two albums were re-issued on CD by GMMC records.
Smith helped form the ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
group, The Entourage Music And Theater Ensemble
The Entourage Music And Theater Ensemble
The Entourage Music and Theater Ensemble was an ambient music group. The group was active from 1970 to 1983 and performed in theaters in combination with dance ensembles....
with Joe Clark, Rusti Clark, and Wall Matthews. This group made two recordings for Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
and performed in theaters in combination with dance ensembles. In 2003, the electronic music artist Four Tet
Four Tet
Kieran Hebden is a post-rock and electronic musician. Hebden first came to prominence as a member of the band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist under the moniker of Four Tet....
sampled, without permission, the Entourage composition, "Neptune Rising", and used it as the basis for the hit single, "She Moves She." Smith (and Matthews) later received a royalty payment from Four Tet for the use of the copyrighted material.
He toured nationally with Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
from 1971 to 1972, but found the rigors of touring to be exhausting. He left Flack's band and returned to his home base in Washington D.C. where he performed and recorded with local jazz musicians. The Washington Post included Smith in its 1974 Who's Who of D.C. artists and musicians.
In 1977, Smith traveled to Germany to record with pianist Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn
Steve Kuhn is an American jazz pianist, composer and trio leader.-Biography:He began studying piano at the age of five and studied under Boston piano teacher Margaret Chaloff, mother of jazz baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, who taught him the "Russian style" of piano playing. At an early age he...
, bassist Harvie Swartz
Harvie Swartz
Harvie S is an American jazz double-bassist.S learned piano as a child and did not begin playing bass until 1967, when he was nineteen years old. He attended Berklee College of Music and played in and around Boston with Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Mose Allison, and Chris Connor...
, and saxophonist Steve Slagle
Steve Slagle
Steve Slagle is an American jazz saxophonist.Slagle was born in Los Angeles and grew up in suburban Philadelphia. he received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He came to New York in 1976, playing with Machito and his Afro-Cuban orchestra, and played successively with Ray Barretto,...
. The resulting recording was the critically successful LP, Steve Kuhn & Ecstasy - Motility on the ECM Records label. In 1984, he recorded with pianist/bassist Don Thompson
Don Thompson
Donald Thompson, Donald Thomson, Don Thompson or Don Thomson may refer to:-Sports personalities:* Don Thompson , American player for the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926...
on his Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-winning LP, A Beautiful Friendship. He toured Europe and appeared with pianist Adam Makowicz
Adam Makowicz
Adam Makowicz born Adam Matyszkowicz is a Polish-Canadian pianist and composer living in Toronto. He performs jazz and classical piano pieces, as well as his own compositions...
at the North Sea Jazz Festival
North Sea Jazz Festival
The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
in 1986 and 1987 playing to large appreciative crowds.
During the 1980s, Smith was the go-to drummer for saxophonist Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
and singer/song writer Mose Allison
Mose Allison
Mose John Allison, Jr. is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
whenever they came to Washington.
From 1987 to 2005, Smith continued to play jazz clubs and record with local jazz musicians, most notably in a trio with pianist David Kane and bassist Drew Gress
Drew Gress
Drew Gress is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey, raised in the Philadelphia area, and currently based in New York City.-Biography:...
.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
in late 2003. His last recording was with David Kane, Drew Gress, and Dave Liebman on Kane's CD, Grey Matters (2005). Although suffering from walking pneumonia and severe bone pain, his performance during this session was not noticeably affected. The effects of prostate cancer eventually sidelined Smith in November 2005 and he died on January 2, 2006. A tribute to Smith was held at the renowned jazz club, Blues Alley
Blues Alley
Blues Alley, founded in 1965, is a jazz dinner-and-nightclub in an alley off Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown neighborhood.As of 2008, exclusively jazz musicians are booked into Blues Alley for approximately 360 nights out of the year....
on January 10, 2006.
Personal life
Smith met 19-year-old artist Sharon Hoeffler in late 1976 while playing a standing gig at the One Step Down jazz club. They were married in 1986. A child, Matthew Smith, was stillborn in 1987. They had no other children and divorced in 1998. Sharon Smith, a trained nurse, re-entered Smith's life in the last few months of his life to help with his care and was at his bedside when he died.Selected discography
- Terry Plumeri - He Who Lives in Many Places (1971); reissued 2007
- The Entourage Music And Theater Ensemble (1973)
- The Neptune Collection (1975)
- Steve Kuhn & Ecstasy - Motility (1977); re-issued in Kuhn's limited edition ECM boxset, Life's Backward Glances (2009)
- Terry Plumeri - Ongoing (1978); re-issued 2007 as Water Garden
- Don Thompson Quartet - A Beautiful Friendship (1984) - Juno Award Winner, Best Jazz Album (1985)
- David Kane - March Heir (1988)
- Tekke - Tekke (1989)
- John Wubbenhorst - Facing East (1997)
- Rob Levit - Silence (1999)
- David Kane - Grey Matters (2005)