Saxophonist
Walter Smith III is a forward-thinking musician with a bent toward swinging post-bop jazz and modern creative composition. Along with projects with
Joshua Redman and
Christian Scott,
Smith has garnered attention for his own albums like 2006's
Casually Introducing and 2014's Still Casual, the latter of which featured trumpeter
Ambrose Akinmusire and guitarist
Matthew Stevens.
Smith and
Stevens also have an ongoing collaboration featuring a revolving lineup showcased on 2018's In Common, 2020's
In Common II, and 2022's
In Common III.
A native of Houston, Texas,
Smith began studying the saxophone at age seven, and by his teens had earned a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2003, after graduating Berklee with a degree in music education,
Smith earned a Graduate Diploma from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. He then finished his Masters of Music in Jazz Studies at Manhattan School of Music. As a professional jazz musician,
Smith has performed with such luminaries as trumpeter
Ambrose Akinmusire, trumpeter
Terence Blanchard, drummer
Roy Haynes, pianist
Eric Reed, and many others. In 2006, he released his debut album as leader,
Casually Introducing, and followed it up three years later with Live in Paris.
On 2010's
III, he was joined by
Akinmusire, along with pianist
Jason Moran, bassist
Joe Sanders, and drummer
Eric Harland. In 2014,
Smith returned with Still Casual, which also featured
Akinmusire, as well as pianist
Taylor Eigsti, guitarist
Matthew Stevens, bassist
Harish Raghavan, and drummer
Kendrick Scott. He then joined fellow saxophonist
Dayna Stephens for
Reminiscent, and returned to his solo work with the 2018 trio effort
Twio, featuring saxophonist
Joshua Redman and bassist
Christian McBride. Also that year,
Smith released In Common, the debut from his collaborative project with guitarist
Stevens, featuring
Raghavan,
Marcus Gilmore, and
Joel Ross.
The following year,
Smith accepted the position of chair of the woodwind department at the Berklee College of Music.
In Common II arrived in 2020 and featured a different lineup with
Smith and
Stevens joined by
Micah Thomas,
Linda May Han Oh, and
Nate Smith. Following projects with
Joel Ross,
Dave Stryker, and
Connie Han,
Smith reunited with
Stevens for
In Common III, which found them working with veteran bassist
Dave Holland and pianist
Kris Davis. ~ Matt Collar