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Damon Smith

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Damon Smith
Birth nameDamon Jesse Smith[1]
GenresJazz, free music, experimental rock
Instrument(s)Double bass

Damon Smith (born October 17, 1972[1]) is an American free-jazz bassist.[2] He has worked with Cecil Taylor,[2] Peter Brötzmann,[2] Marshall Allen,[2] John Tchicai,[3] Elliott Sharp,[3] Fred Frith[2] and Jim O'Rourke.[3] Since 2016, Smith has lived in Boston.[4]

Biography

Smith spent his childhood in eastern Washington but moved to Oakland in the mid-1980s.[2] He took up bass in his late teens, inspired by the Minutemen's Mike Watt.[2] [5][3] His love of Minutemen got him to explore other bands on the SST Records label which led to his discovery of Henry Kaiser, Elliott Sharp and Saccharine Trust.[5] Smith credited Saccharine Trust's improvised live album Worldbroken with altering his views on punk rock, jazz, and free-form jamming.[6] Eventually Damon was fortunate enough to meet Kaiser and the two have collaborated for over twenty years including more than ten recordings together.[3]

Initially an electric bass player due to his love of Minutemen and Watt's followup band fIREHOSE,[3] Smith switched to double bass and began focusing on improvisation[3] inspired by Peter Kowald[2] and his album Duos:Europa[1]

Smith studied with Bill Douglas,[1] Lisle Ellis,[5][1] Kristin Zerneg,[1] and Bertram Turetsky.[1]

In 2001, Smith launched his own record label called Balance Point Acoustics.[1]

More recently, Smith has played with Weasel Walter in his Weasel Walter Quartet[6] and in Plane Crash which also includes Henry Kaiser.[7] The latter expanded to become Astral Plane Crash with the inclusion of Vinny Golia and Bob Moses.[7]

Smith has also collaborated with Werner Herzog on soundtracks to his documentary films Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World.[8]

Partial discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Couture, François. "Damon Smith Biography by François Couture". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Gilbert, Andrew (April 8, 2014). "Free-Range Bassist". East Bay Express. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Dansby, Andrew (November 13, 2013). "Bassist Damon Smith's joint efforts produce performance gems". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Damon Smith » Damon Smith". balancepointacoustics.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  5. ^ a b c Cohan, Brad (August 22, 2017). "Double Bassist Damon Smith is a Driving Force in Out-Jazz". Bandcamp. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Farrar, Justin (April 26, 2006). "Pagan Icons' Second Round". East Bay Express. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Longley, Martin (September 7, 2018). "Bassist Damon Smith Helps Steer Astral Plane Crash's Improv". DownBeat. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Damon Smith ( US )". No Idea Festival. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "Nearly Extinct bpaltd707, by Henry Kaiser / Steve Parker / Damon Smith / Chris Cogburn". Balance Point Acoustics. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  10. ^ Hareuveni, Eyal (January 13, 2014). "Alvin Fielder / David Dove / Jason Jackson / Damon Smith: From-To-From". All About Jazz. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Damon Smith: Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Taylor, Derek (October 31, 2016). "Alvin Fielder & Damon Smith – Song for Chico (Balance Point Acoustics)". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  13. ^ Taylor, Derek (March 14, 2017). "Alvin Fielder/Frode Gjerstad/Damon Smith – The Shape Finds Its Own Space (FMR)". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  14. ^ Acquaro, Paul (September 22, 2017). "The Continuing Adventures of Damon Smith". The Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
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