Sean Smith (born 1965 in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

) is an American

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 ...

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

player and composer.

Early life and education

Sean Smith was born in

in 1965 to very supportive but non-musical parents. He grew up in Cos Cob, Connecticut. Smith began learning the

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

in the fourth grade, then switched to the

electric bass The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an electric but with a longer neck and scale leng ...

(in junior high school) and played

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

, before finally finding the double bass in high school and engaging with jazz music. Some of his early influences were

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

and

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer Alphonse Mouzon a ...

, especially

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Shorter came to mainstream prominence in 1959 upon joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, for whom he eventually became the primary comp ...

and

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...

. He was also influenced by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as the great jazz composers, Brazilian music, and the great American songbook. In 1990, he completed his studies at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

and had already been working in the New York jazz scene since the early 1980s. 1990 was also the year Sean Smith started to compose music.

Career

Smith made his first recording in 1984, with guitarist Greg Packham. In the following years, he played and recorded with Allen Lowe (''For Poor B.B. and Others ...''), Virginia Mayhew,

Richard Peaslee Richard Peaslee (June 13, 1930, New York NY – August 20, 2016) was a composer who worked in a variety of idioms, including chorus, orchestra, dance, and soundtracks for film and television, but he was most active as a composer for the theatre. Ed ...

, alto saxophonist Allen Mezquida, and with pianist

Bill Charlap William Morrison Charlap (born October 15, 1966, pronounced "Shar-Lap") is an American jazz pianist and educator. Early life and education Born in New York City, Bill Charlap is the son of American Broadway composer Moose Charlap and the singe ...

, with whom he recorded a duo album in 1993 featuring 6 Sean Smith compositions as well as standards " Donna Lee", " Darn That Dream", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". Worked with Gene Bertoncini starting in the 1980's as well as Flip Phillips, Lee Konitz, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Helen Merrill, Mark Murphy, and Bill Mays in the 1990's. In 1999, his debut album ''Sean Smith Quartet Live'' was recorded on the SS ''Norway''; his quartet consisted of Allen Mezquida (alto saxophone), Bill Charlap, and Ron Vincent (drums). Two other albums under his own name followed. According to Judith Schlesinger of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, writing in early 2000s, the "pitch-perfect, fluid, and elegant bassist" is one of the most employed musicians in the international jazz scene. A prolific composer, Smith also composes music for films.

Awards and honors

Smith received the 2007 '' Back Stage magazine''s Bistro Award in the instrumentalist category. His ensemble was awarded the CMA/

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

Award for Adventurous Programming in 2015. The song " Song for the Geese" composed by Smith is the title track of an album by Mark Murphy, which was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

. The 2003 album '' Into the Blue'' by Emmanuel Pahud and Jacky Terrasson, in which he participated as a bassist, was also nominated for a Grammy.

Selected discography

* ''Bill Charlap & Sean Smith'' (

Progressive Records Progressive Records is an American jazz record company and label owned by the Jazzology Records, Jazzology group. It produces reissues and compilations of musicians such as Sonny Stitt, Eddie Barefield, George Masso, and Eddie Miller (jazz saxophon ...

, 1993) * Bill Mays: ''Mays in Manhattan'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the ...

, 1996) * ''Gene Bertoncini with Bill Charlap and Sean Smith'' ( Chiaroscuro Records, 1996) * Peter Brainin / Steve Johns Feat.

Ben Monder Ben Monder (born May 24, 1962) is an American modern jazz rock guitarist. Biography Monder started playing guitar when he was eleven, after two years on violin. From 1979–84, he attended the Westchester Conservatory of Music, the University of ...

& Sean Smith: ''Ceremony'' (Cats Paw Records, 1998) * CCQt: ''Ontology'' (New Artists, 1998), with Richard Tabnik,

Connie Crothers Connie Crothers (May 2, 1941 – August 13, 2016) was an American jazz improviser and pianist. Early life Crothers began studying classical piano at age 9 and went on to major in composition at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkele ...

, Sean Smith, Roger Mancuso * ''The Sean Smith Quartet Live!'' (Chiaroscuro Records, 1998) * ''Poise'' (Ambient, 2001), with Allen Mezquida (as), Bill Charlap, Keith Ganz (g), Russell Meissner (dr) * ''Trust'' (Smithereen, 2010), with John Ellis, * The Humanity Quartet: ''Humanity'' (Cellar Live, 2014), with Joel Frahm, Peter Bernstein, Sean Smith, Leon Parker

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Sean American jazz double-bassists American jazz composers Musicians from Greenwich, Connecticut 1965 births Manhattan School of Music alumni Living people