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Joe Smith

Born in Ripley, OH, the brother of trumpeter Russell Smith. He played with small groups in St. Louis, MO then went to New York City in 1920. There he joined Kaiser Marshall's band, and accompanied Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith (whose favorite trumpet player he was) and Mamie Smith in 1922 and 1923. In 1924, he led a group backing Noble Sissie and Eubie Blake, and played off and on with Fletcher Henderson from 1925 to 1928. After playing briefly with Bennie Moten, he played intermittently with McKinney's Cotton Pickers from 1929 to 1934. In the early '30s his health started to fail and he worked infrequently, spending the last four years of his life in a Long Island, NY hospital. A spirited, sensitive artist whose tone and warmth of style were frequently compared to Bix Beiderbecke's, he ranked with Tommy Ladnier among the most underrated trumpet players of the '20s.

Source: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz

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6
Album Review

Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles: Gin & Moonlight

Read "Gin & Moonlight" reviewed by James Nadal


Long before jazz became a spectator event, it was dance music. The big bands that played swing made their reputations on being able to flood the floor with dancers. Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles are on a mission to bring back those days, and Gin & Moonlight has them on the right track. Formed in Denver in 2013, and led by trumpeter Joe Smith, the band has been focusing on dance oriented swing since their 2015 release High Fidelity. ...

379
Album Review

Joe Smith: Melodic Workshop

Read "Melodic Workshop" reviewed by Andrew Rowan


Joe Smith's Melodic Workshop begins with a joyful piano-bass-drum fanfare that leads to a long-lined theme, motored by an almost martial drumbeat. “Shroo" is grand and generous in its scope. Jazz to be sure, but not the traditional kind. Free of more conventional metric considerations, the musicians make the most of the occasion to improvise thematically. In contrast, “Rebel" has a more regular rhythm and, with closely voiced horns in the exposition spelling out its harmonies, a more ...

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Paralleli

Self Produced
2021

buy

Gin & Moonlight

Cuttin' Records
2017

buy

Melodic Workshop

Fresh Sound Records
2005

buy

Paralleli

From: Paralleli
By Joe Smith

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