Willie Smith (alto saxophonist)


William McLeish Smith was one of the major alto saxophone players of the swing era. He also played clarinet and sang.

Early life

Smith was born in Charleston, South Carolina, but raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His first instrument was clarinet and his education was in chemistry. He received his chemistry degree from Fisk University, an HBCU.

Career

In 1929 Smith became an alto saxophonist for Jimmie Lunceford's band, becoming one of the main stars in the group. In 1940 he led his own quintet as a side project. His success with Lunceford had lost its charms by 1942 as he now wanted more pay and less travel. Smith moved to the Charlie Spivak orchestra for a year and was in the navy for another year. He then switched to Harry James's orchestra, where he made more money, and stayed with him for seven years. After that he worked with Duke Ellington and Billy May. He was also part of the Gene Krupa Trio, and can be heard on the 1952 live Verve album The Drum Battle, part of the Jazz at the Philharmonic series. In 1954 he returned to Harry James's band.

Personal life

Smith died of cancer on March 7, 1967, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 56.

Playing style

Jazz critic John S. Wilson described Smith as "one of the triumvirate of great jazz alto saxophonists before Charlie Parker arrived. The other two were Johnny Hodges, who had a fat, luscious tone, and Benny Carter, a model of clean, pure-toned playing. Stylistically, Smith fell between Carter and Hodges for he combined some of Carter's clarity and singing directness with a variant of Hodges' gut sound."

Discography

As sideman

With Louis Bellson
With Nat King Cole
With Harry James
With Gene Krupa
With others