Jump to content

Damon Smith

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vmavanti (talk | contribs) at 19:58, 1 November 2020 (→Discography: disambig). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Damon Smith
Birth nameDamon Jesse Smith
Born (1972-10-17) October 17, 1972 (age 52)
Spokane, Washington
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDouble bass
Years active1990s–present
LabelsBalance Point Acoustics
Websitebalancepointacoustics.com

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

Biography

Smith spent his childhood in eastern Washington but moved to Oakland in the mid-1980s.[1] He took up bass in his late teens, inspired by the Minutemen's Mike Watt.[1] [3][2] 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.[3] Smith credited Saccharine Trust's improvised live album Worldbroken with altering his views on punk rock, jazz, and free-form jamming.[4] Eventually Damon was fortunate enough to meet Kaiser and the two have collaborated for over twenty years including more than ten recordings together.[2]

Initially an electric bass player due to his love of Minutemen and Watt's followup band fIREHOSE,[2] Smith switched to double bass and began focusing on improvisation[2] inspired by Peter Kowald[1] and his album Duos:Europa[5]

Smith studied with Bill Douglas,[5] Lisle Ellis,[3][5] Kristin Zerneg,[5] and Bertram Turetsky.[5]

In 2001, Smith launched his own record label called Balance Point Acoustics.[5]

More recently, Smith has played with Weasel Walter in his Weasel Walter Quartet[4] and in Plane Crash which also includes Henry Kaiser.[6] The latter expanded to become Astral Plane Crash with the inclusion of Vinny Golia and Bob Moses.[6]

Smith has also collaborated with Werner Herzog on soundtracks to his documentary films Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World.[7]

Discography

  • Color Architecture (Limited Sedition, 1999)
  • A Tribute to John Stevens and the SME with Sextessense (Balance Point Acoustics, 2006)
  • Winter Solos (Balance Point Acoustics, 2019)
  • Contradictory Consequences 1999 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)
  • Variations for Double Bass 1961 Benjamin Patterson (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)
  • Whatever Is Not Stone Is Light (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)

With Emergency String Quartet

  • Hill Music (Spring Garden Music, 2001)
  • Motions Last (Visible Dog, 2002)
  • On the Corner (Public Eyesore, 2002)

With Alvin Fielder

  • From-to-From (Balance Point Acoustics, 2013)[8]
  • Song for Chico (Balance Point Acoustics, 2016)[9]
  • The Shape Finds Its Own Space (FMR, 2016)[10]

With Vinny Golia

  • Healing Force (Cuneiform, 2007)
  • Grosses Messer (ugEXPLODE, 2009)
  • Astral Plane Crash (Balance Point Acoustics, 2018)[6]

With William Hooker

  • Earth's Orbit (NoBusiness, 2010)
  • Triangles of Force (Balance Point Acoustics 2014)
  • Remembering (Astral Spirits, 2018)

With Henry Kaiser

  • Domo Arigato Derek-Sensei! (Balance Point Acoustics, 2006)
  • Plane Crash (ugEXPLODE, 2009)
  • Encounters at the End of the World (Fractal Music, 2013)
  • Plane Crash Two (New Atlantis, 2015)[11]
  • Relations (Balance Point Acoustics, 2015)
  • The Celestial Squid (Cuneiform, 2015)
  • Indestrucible Fantasy (Fractal Music, 2016)
  • Nearly Extinct (Balance Point Acoustics, 2016)[12]
  • More Requia (Metalanguage, 2019)

With Weasel Walter

  • Revolt Music (ugEXPLODE, 2006)
  • Firestorm (ugEXPLODE, 2007)
  • Large Group Performances 2007–2009 (ugEXPLODE, 2009)
  • Invasion (ugEXPLODE, 2010)

With others

  • Jaap Blonk, Hugo Ball: Sechs Laut-Und Klanggedichte, 1916 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2014)
  • Jaap Blonk, North of Blanco (Balance Point Acoustics, 2014)
  • John Butcher, The Catastrophe of Minimalism (Balance Point Acoustics, 2017)[13]
  • Carlo Actis Dato, USA Tour & April 2001 & Live (Splasc(h) 2001)
  • Marco Eneidi, Ghetto Calypso (Not Two, 2006)
  • Marco Eneidi, Marco Eneidi & the American Jungle Orchestra (Botticelli, 1996)
  • Peter Evans, Oculus Ex Abyssus (ugEXPLODE, 2008)
  • Peter Evans, Untitled (ugEXPLODE, 2008)
  • Burton Greene, Life's Intense Mystery (Astral Spirits, 2019)
  • Pandelis Karayorgis, Cliff (Driff, 2018)
  • Pandelis Karayorgis, CliffPools (Driff, 2020)
  • Peter Kowald, Mirrors Broken But No Dust (Balance Point Acoustics, 2001)
  • Joe McPhee, Six Situations (Not Two, 2017)
  • Kenny Millions, Fuck Music... Tell Jokes You'll Make More Money (Unhinged, 2018)
  • Gino Robair, I, Norton: An Opera in Real Time (Rastascan, 2009)
  • Richard Thompson, Music from Grizzly Man (Proper, 2018)
  • Dave Tucker, Tenderloin (Pax, 2004)
  • Bertram Turetzky, Thoughtbeetle (Balance Point Acoustics)
  • Fred Van Hove, Burns Longer (Balance Point Acoustics, 2013)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Gilbert, Andrew (April 8, 2014). "Free-Range Bassist". East Bay Express. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b c Cohan, Brad (August 22, 2017). "Double Bassist Damon Smith is a Driving Force in Out-Jazz". Bandcamp. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Farrar, Justin (April 26, 2006). "Pagan Icons' Second Round". East Bay Express. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Couture, François. "Damon Smith Biography by François Couture". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Longley, Martin (September 7, 2018). "Bassist Damon Smith Helps Steer Astral Plane Crash's Improv". DownBeat. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  7. ^ "Damon Smith ( US )". No Idea Festival. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Hareuveni, Eyal (January 13, 2014). "Alvin Fielder / David Dove / Jason Jackson / Damon Smith: From-To-From". All About Jazz. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  9. ^ Taylor, Derek (October 31, 2016). "Alvin Fielder & Damon Smith – Song for Chico". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  10. ^ Taylor, Derek (March 14, 2017). "Alvin Fielder/Frode Gjerstad/Damon Smith – The Shape Finds Its Own Space". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Damon Smith: Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  12. ^ "Nearly Extinct bpaltd707, by Henry Kaiser / Steve Parker / Damon Smith / Chris Cogburn". Balance Point Acoustics. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  13. ^ Acquaro, Paul (September 22, 2017). "The Continuing Adventures of Damon Smith". The Free Jazz Collective. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Damon_Smith&oldid=986589369"