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Warren Smith
Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family; his father played saxophone and clarinet with Noble Sissle and Jimmy Noone, and his mother was a harpist and pianist. He studied clarinet under his father from age four. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1957, then took a master's in percussion at the Manhattan School of Music in 1958.
One of his earliest major recording dates was with Miles Davis as a vibraphonist in 1957. He found work in Broadway pit bands in 1958, and also played with Gil Evans that year. In 1961 he co-founded the Composers Workshop Ensemble, a New York-based jazz composition and performance ensemble which released two albums for Strata-East Records. In the 1960s Smith accompanied Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Lloyd Price, and Nat King Cole; he worked with Sam Rivers from 1964-76 and with Gil Evans again from 1968 to 1976.
In 1969 he played with Janis Joplin and in 1971 with Tony Williams Lifetime. He was also a founding member of Max Roach's percussion ensemble, M'Boom, in 1970. Through the 1970s Smith played with Andrew White, Julius Hemphill, Muhal Richard Abrams, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, and Carmen McRae. Other credits include extensive work with rock and pop musicians and time spent with Anthony Braxton, Charles Mingus, Henry Threadgill, Van Morrison, and Joe Zawinul.
In the 1970s and 1980s Smith had a loft called Studio Wis which acted as a performing and recording space for many young New York jazz musicians, such as Wadada Leo Smith and Oliver Lake. He continued to work on Broadway into the 1990s, and has performed with a number of classical ensembles. He taught in the New York City public school system from 1958 to 1968, at Third Street Settlement from 1960 to 1967, at Adelphi University in 1970-71, and at SUNY- Old Westbury from 1971.
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Blue Reality Quartet: Blue Reality Quartet!
by John Sharpe
Back in 2001 when reedman Michael Marcus' trio waxed a disc under the title Blue Reality (Soulnote, 2002), he could scarcely have imagined the circumstances under which he might resurrect the name. As the four masked faces on the cover of Blue Reality Quartet! show, times are sadly very different. Joining Marcus in the studio in November 2020 are and drummer Jay Rosen from the original date, multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee and percussionist Warren Smith. A plethora of connections informs the ...
read moreThe Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony
by Stefano Merighi
Che trionfo per Julius Hemphill! A dispetto delle poche pagine--o righe--che le recenti storie del jazz dedicano al maestro di Fort Worth, Hemphill emerge da questo cofanetto di inediti come sassofonista-improvvisatore-compositore tra i più profondi della musica afroamericana nei decenni compresi tra gli anni '70 e '90. E questa preziosa edizione non solo torna a far luce su repertori e organici già conosciuti dai cultori, ma porta in superficie una gran mole di musica fresca, sorprendente, che ...
read moreJulius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony
by Mark Corroto
There is something inherently objectionable when a billionaire acquires an artistic masterpiece by say, Leonardo DaVinci or Claude Monet, only to sequester it from public view. You might feel the same about Julius Hemphill's recordings Dogon A.D. (Mbari, 1972) and 'Coon Bid'ness (Arista/Freedom, 1975). Both five star recordings, now out of print, cost a small fortune to acquire. Years ago saxophonist Tim Berne, a disciple of Hemphill, endeavored to rescue the saxophonist's Blue Boyé (Mbari, 1977) by rereleasing it in ...
read moreDavid S. Ware New Quartet: Théâtre Garonne, 2008
by Giuseppe Segala
È giusto ricordare un gigante come David S. Ware. La quantità di energia e poesia che egli convoglia nella propria musica e nel suono poderoso del sax tenore (e stritch) lo accomuna a grandi come Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler. L'etichetta AUM Fidelity lo ricorda con merito nella collana a lui appositamente dedicata, denominata DSW-ARC Series, che ha pubblicato significative documentazioni postume dal vivo del sassofonista, giunte al quinto volume con questo Théâtre Garonne, 2008, che mette in scena ...
read moreVincent Chancey Trio: The Spell
by John Sharpe
It's not everyone who gets to be name-checked in the title of an album by Sun Ra, but Chicago-native Vincent Chancey inhabits a select club thanks to Taking A Chance On Chances (Saturn, 1977), (mis-)named after an improvised duet between his French horn and Ra's piano. As well as the Arkestra, Chancey's French horn has also featured in the bands of Carla Bley, Lester Bowie, David Murray and Dave Douglas among over 300 sideman dates. But in spite of such ...
read moreDavid S. Ware Quartet: Théâtre Garonne, 2008
by Mark Corroto
In 2008, when this live concert was recorded, saxophonist David S. Ware was ill, but concert goers would have no idea of this fact. He has been suffering, since 1999 from kidney failure and eventually had a kidney transplant in 2009. Ware and the latest configuration of his quartet traveled to Toulouse, France, just a few weeks after recording the studio album Shakti (AUM Fidelity, 2008) in Brooklyn. By the same token, listeners of that release had no idea of ...
read moreWarren Smith: Old News Borrowed Blues
by Lyn Horton
Famous for his participation in Max Roach's percussionist band, M'Boom, drummer/vibraphonist Warren Smith has demonstrated with finesse how an approach stimulated by rhythm can become the impetus for larger ensemble music. A program of original compositions from his past, now arranged for brass, bass, guitar and percussion, is recorded for the first time in Old News Borrowed Blues. The album features a wonderful lineup in John Carlson and Cecil Bridgewater (trumpets), Joe Daley (euphonium), Jack Jeffers (bass trombone), Craig Rivers, ...
read moreBones and Tones: Hip Percussive Afro-Jazz
Source:
Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards
Bones & Tones (Freedom Art 52964) has something very good going on. Their first, self-titled album brings the effectively grooved percussion intricacies of M'boom with African elements and contemporary jazz. That is no doubt due to the talents and proclivities of the quartet: Abdou Mboup on percussion, vocals and kora; Lloyd Haber on marimba, bells, percussion; Jaribu Shahid on contrabass and percussion; and Warren Smith (a founder of M'boom among many other things) on vibes and percussion. This is a ...
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Makanda Project with Warren Smith Performing at Dudley Branch of Boston Public Library in Roxbury on March 12
Source:
MassJazz: Jazz in Massachusetts
The Makanda Project, dedicated to the compositions of Boston musician Makanda Ken McIntyre, is performing at the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library on Saturday, March 12, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. Jazz percussionist Warren Smith is the featured artist. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information call617 442-4414. McIntyre was a gifted musician and educator who composed over 400 pieces of music in his life. The Makanda Project continues the legacy of ...
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AllAboutJazz-New York Presents "1s & 2s: Music for Solo & Duo": Warren Smith and Kevin Norton
Source:
All About Jazz
AllAboutJazz-New York PRESENTS 1s & 2s: Music for Solo & Duo" (on the first Thursday of every month at Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village, New York) December 2nd: Come hear a RARE solo and duo concert by master percussionists WARREN SMITH and KEVIN NORTON Set Times: 8:30 & 10pm ~ Cover: $12 (212) 989-9319 ~ www.corneliastreetcafe.com WARREN SMITH Warren Smith's reputation as a dynamic leader of a vibrant and creative ensemble ...
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Roy Campbell, William Parker, Warren Smith and Joe McPhee At Kampo Cultural Center, October 12th
Source:
All About Jazz
Ancestral voices, modern artistry, futuristic vision:
ROY CAMPBELL, JR. with WILLIAM PARKER, WARREN SMITH, and special guest JOE McPHEE
Saturday, October 12, 2OO2 at Kampo Cultural Center, 31 Bond St. (2nd St.) just west of Bowery (3rd Ave.), Manhattan, 8-11 p.m., tickets $2O at the door (price includes refreshments), venue information 212-228-1O58, http://www.kampo.com. Take the #6 train to Bleecker St.
ABOUT THE MUSICIANS:
ROY CAMPBELL, JR. was born in Los Angeles in ...
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