David Smith - NEW ALBUM OUT - Redstone

Redstone features Smith’s Quintet of Dan Pratt on tenor saxophone, Nate Radley on guitar, Gary Wang on bass and Allan Mednard on drums. Smith talks about the incredible band assembled for this recording: “The band played beautifully, I’m very grateful to have such high-level musicians playing my music. Nate Radley has been on all of my records, Gary Wang the last three now, and Dan Pratt, who helped me move into my first Brooklyn apartment twenty-five years ago, is on the last two. Sadly Anthony Pinciotti, who played on my last album, passed away in late 2024, but Allan Mednard has been one of my favorite drummers to play with in recent years and his playing shows exactly why.”

The title track, “Redstone,” refers to the beautiful Redstone Lake in central Ontario (photographed by Smith for the album cover) where Smith’s parents retired to. “The area has particular significance to me as it was where we had family gatherings as my children were growing up, and where I had my last visits with my father before he passed away in 2021,” explained Smith. Redstone is dedicated to the memory of Smith’s father Barrie Smith, and the late drummer, Anthony Pinciotti (who appears on Impetus). Smith also composed the track “Elegy” in tribute to his late father.

 Smith associates Redstone Lake with his Canadian roots, and the massive importance of connecting with family, including his extended family in music. To that end, “Blackley” is dedicated to the late drummer, Jim Blackley, who hosted weekly sessions for musicians at his home in Toronto. Smith was a regular at Blackley’s trial-by-fire sessions over many years, and “his dedication, creativity and energy (despite being nearly fifty years my senior) were deeply inspiring and had much to do with my move to New York City twenty-five years ago,” said Smith. Smith composed the track “Almost” to reflect on dealing with challenges and the reality that sometimes things come up just short. “I love how everyone in the band played on this, it showcases what great musicians can do with a simple piece of music.” “Pulse” was written for a club in Brooklyn called the Brooklyn Artery, and was the result of composing on deadline and with a restriction. Smith explained that, “the original instrumentation was trumpet, voice, bass and drums, and serves as an example of how many times restrictions can be good friends of the creative process.” Smith’s gorgeous sound really shines on the standard, “It Never Entered My Mind.” He explains his love for this tune, “it has been one of my favorite ballads for a long time and Miles’ Blue Note recording of it is a desert island must-have.” “’Misao’ is dedicated to my beautiful wife who supports and puts up with me,” said Smith. The album closes with Coltrane’s “Central Park West” which is, “a tune I’ve always loved and some years ago really started enjoying playing up-tempo, and taking a slightly different approach to it,” commented Smith.

Impetus

Impetus is the third album from the David Smith Quintet, featuring Smith's working band for the past several years, Dan Pratt on saxophones, Nate Radley on guitar, Gary Wang on bass and Anthony Pinciotti on drums. On Impetus Smith offers six  original compositions that explore subtle tensions that drive the music forward.  

 The trumpeter/composer explains, "in several tunes I was looking for a tempo that was laid back enough that it created a subtle tension to move forward, like a spring that is pulled just a bit causing it to pull back."  While Smith considers his compositions the foundation of his records, he is intent on finding the point of balance whereby the tune communicates a musical idea but remains open enough to allow creative space for the band to explore.

 The first three tunes of Impetus make a continuous "suite". "Moments"  is an understated, lyrical melody that sets the tone for the album. "Bond" was built upon the last two chords of "Moments" with the intention of them being continuous. Smith elaborates, "as a pair of tunes they sort of needed a foil to balance them out and segueing into "The Toaster" was working on gigs so I kept it. "The Toaster" was written in tribute to a tragically unfortunate mouse."  "Seven"  borrows its harmony from the Allegretto second movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony,  resulting in something very different. "Starr St" is about a rough and tumble part of Bushwick,  Brooklyn. "Intersection" was another attempt to capture the energy Smith was describing earlier, with the tempo sitting back and the "F" that exists throughout the entire tune creating a subtle but building  tension until the last four measures of the recording when it is finally released.

 Impetus was recorded live in a one-room studio to two-track analog tape, and also mastered directly from the tape; the mixing was completed before the band started playing.  Smith wanted to capture the organic nature of the tunes and band dynamic and felt this was the best way to accomplish that.

 At times Impetus  betrays a rock influence,  both musically and  emotionally. Smith explains, "I feel this is  acknowledging a part of where I came from musically, earlier in life. It wasn't a conscious decision, but rather what came out when I tried to write honest music."  From the twenty-four minute suite that opens the recording, to the resolution in the last four measures, this is an album in the truest sense.

 Anticipation

Featuring Kenji Omae (saxophone), Nate Radley (guitar), Gary Wang (bass) & Greg Ritchie (drums)

Anticipation, the follow up recording to Smith’s debut recording Circumstance (2006, FSNT), is largely about the experiences in Smith’s life surrounding the birth of his daughter Hannah (who appears on the cover and inside). The recording opens with the title track, which refers to “the feelings, and to some degree anxiety I felt about impending fatherhood, but also the word as a musical term.” Smith explains further, “the tune is built around a three-part counterpoint in the guitar with each resulting chord anticipating the beginning and middle of each measure which ends up making for a somewhat relentless and perpetual motion throughout the song.”

For David Smith, meeting guitarist Nate Radley was the impetus for him to start a band, and he has had the luxury to have him on nearly all of his gigs since the beginning (2005). Smith explains, “we played for the first time at a session at Greg Ritchie's place, and after playing one of my tunes and one of his tunes, I felt that he and I shared a musical compatibility that is very rare.” Radley’s tune “Carillon”, first played at that informal session, is featured on Anticipation simply because Smith loves how it combines musical interest with relative simplicity. “It is beautifully constructed and lots of fun to play on,” said the trumpeter.

Smith composed “Bittersweet” (which employs some species counterpoint techniques he was studying at the time) in an attempt to convey some of the complex emotions he was feeling about fatherhood prior to his daughter’s birth. The tune was also influenced by the Ben Monder composition “ Luteous Pangolin”, as played by The Alan Ferber Nonet, of which Dave is a member.

“Alone” was composed during an unplanned separation from his wife and daughter. Smith explains, “We live in a Brooklyn duplex and our landlord decided to do a major gut renovation of the entire apartment directly below. Our place became filled with fine dust and out of health concerns we hastily sent my wife and daughter to Japan to stay with family until the renovations were done, which ended up lasting two months. The feelings of separation for the first time, and at a time of considerable development (right after her 1st birthday), were not something I was prepared for. As is often the case though I am most inspired to write when I have strong feelings to express and this tune came out rather easily. Being alone I had the luxury of spending a lot of time listening to music (not always possible with a young child), and one day listening to the first few measures of the Mozart D Minor Piano Concerto (no. 20 K.466) I immediately ran to the piano and began with the first few measures of this.”

The other fascinating original composition on the recording is “The Question”, Smith’s double-time, intervallic melody over the changes to Monk’s “Ask Me Now”, with a bar of 5/4 thrown in at the end of the bridge, “more or less for comic relief,” said Smith.”

Other highlights on Anticipation include a stirring rendition of the standard “All Or Nothing At All”, rendered here with Smith’s triadic reharmonization of the melody. And satisfying Smith’s penchant for John Coltrane tunes that utilize his “Giant Steps” cycle, Smith offers up a brilliant odd-time arrangement of Coltrane’s “Satellite.”

About David Smith

The trumpeter began his professional career in Toronto, moving to NYC in 2000 at the urging of saxophonist Kenji Omae. Smith managed to relocate armed with a study grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Before long he was much in demand on the NYC scene, and is currently a member of almost twenty different ensembles. He was most recently featured on new recordings by Harry Connick Jr., Jon Gordon, and others.

His debut album as a leader, Circumstance, was released in October of 2006 on the Fresh Sound New Talent label, featuring his original compositions played by an outstanding quintet featuring Seamus Blake (tenor saxophone), Nate Radley (guitar), David Ephross (bass) and the ubiquitous Mark Ferber (drums). While the roots of the music on Circumstance, and on his new release on BJURecords, Anticipation, is in classic jazz, Smith combines elements of classical harmony and counterpoint resulting in a very original compositional style. His approach to the trumpet is also unique, intervallic and harmonically sophisticated yet lyrical and emotional.

In addition to his own recordings, Smith is featured as a sideman on over two dozen recordings including releases for Fresh Sound New Talent (Alan Ferber Nonet, Delphian Jazz Orchestra), Steeplechase (Kim Bock Quartet, Russ Spiegel Sextet) and Interplay Records (Cecilia Coleman Quintet), as well as several independent releases (Paul Carlon Octet, Sarah Lynch, Numinous). He has also recorded for national broadcasts on CBC Radio in Canada and Denmark Radio and appears on two film soundtracks. Smith has also been called upon to record with the likes of Lonnie Plaxico, Billy Hart, Chris Cheek, Lenny Pickett and Tom Jones among others. Smith is an international touring artist, appearing in major jazz clubs around the globe, from NYC to Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Haiti. Smith has a Master of Arts Degree in Jazz Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York, and is an adjunct faculty member at the College of Staten Island, CUNY.

www.davesmithtrumpet.com