Paul Alva Smoker (May 8, 1941 – May 14, 2016) was an American composer and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

trumpeter.

Music career

Smoker was born in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...

, grew up in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

, and moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

to play professionally. He worked there in the 1960s, playing with Bobby Christian among others. He took his doctorate at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1974, and taught at

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associati ...

from 1976 to 1990, as well as for shorter periods at the University of Iowa, the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2024 total enrollment was 9,283 students. The university was initially founded in 1 ...

, and the

University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh The University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh or UWO) is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to around 13,0 ...

. In the 1980s and 1990s, Smoker worked with musicians such as

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

, Gregg Bendian, Damon Short, Randy McKean, and

Phil Haynes Phil Haynes (born 1961 in Hillsboro, Oregon) is an American jazz percussionist and composer. Career A veteran artist based in New York for 25 years, Phil Haynes is featured on more than 85 LP, CD, and DVD releases by numerous American and Euro ...

. He was a member of

Joint Venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

, who recorded for

Enja Records Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Jap ...

in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His records issued on

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence'' magazine and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic pr ...

in the 1990s feature sidemen such as

Vinny Golia Vinny Golia (born March 1, 1946) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in woodwind instruments. He performs in the genres of contemporary music, jazz, free jazz, and free improvisation. Career As a composer, Golia fuses ...

, Ken Filiano, and

Steve Salerno Steve Salerno is an American nonfiction author, essayist, and educator who has written three books, including ''SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless'', a critique of the self-help movement, and ''Deadly Blessing'', about the d ...

. Outside of jazz, Smoker was also involved in the performance of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st-century classical music, 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), post-tonal music after the death of ...

, in his university capacities and with the SOMA ensemble. He worked out of upstate New York from 1990. He died on May 14, 2016, in

Pittsford, New York Pittsford is an incorporated town in Monroe County, New York. A suburb of Rochester, its population was 30,617 at the time of the 2020 census. Formerly part of the town of Northfield, Pittsford was settled in 1789 and incorporated in 1796. T ...

, at the age of 75.

Discography

As leader

* ''Mississippi River Rat'' (Sound Aspects, 1984) * ''Alone'' (Sound Aspects, 1986) * ''Come Rain or Come Shine'' (Sound Aspects, 1986) * ''Genuine Fables'' ( Hathut, 1988) * ''Halloween '96'' (

, 1996) * ''Standard Deviation'' (CIMP, 1998) * ''Large Music, Vol. 1'' (CIMP, 2000) * ''Large Music, Vol. 2'' (CIMP, 2001) * ''Mirabile Dictu'' (CIMP, 2001) * ''Brass Reality'' (

Nine Winds Nine Winds is an American jazz record label that was founded in 1977 by Vinny Golia. Golia is a self-taught musician who plays over fifty woodwind instruments, in addition to brass. In the early 1970s, he believed it was impossible for musicians ...

, 2002) * ''Duocity in Brass & Wood'' (

Cadence In Classical music, Western musical theory, a cadence () is the end of a Phrase (music), phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution (music), resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don ...

, 2003) * ''Halloween, the Sequel'' (Nine Winds)

As sideman

With

Marshall Allen Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924) is an American free jazz and avant-garde jazz alto saxophone player. He also performs on flute, oboe, piccolo, and the EWI. Allen is best known for his work with Sun Ra, having recorded and performed ...

* ''

PoZest ''PoZest'' is an album by saxophonist Marshall Allen. It was recorded at The Spirit Room in Rossie, New York on May 10 and 11, 1999, and was released in 2000 by CIMP. On the album, Allen is joined by Lou Grassi's PoBand, featuring Perry Robinson ( ...

'' (CIMP, 2000) With

* '' Ensemble (Victoriaville) 1988'' (Victo, 1988

992 Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Worldwide * Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as far south as Germany and Korea. Euro ...

* ''Nine Compositions (Hill) 2000'' (CIMP, 2001)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoker, Paul 1941 births 2016 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Musicians from Indiana American male jazz musicians