JONATHAN SMITH

August, 2014

Organ Trio Magic 

I have recently realized that a long held dream has been realized: to play in an organ trio. This one kind of snuck up on me, and hit me: Hey I do play in an organ trio - it’s my trio!

(There is something about the sound of Hammond B3, electric jazz guitar, and drums that elevates the music to a mystical plane). 

Since 2011 I have had the amazing good fortune to play on a regular basis with keyboardist Marcus Reynolds and drummer Jon Huteson. These guys…

Intro to Jazz

In the 1960’s I was a total rock enthusiast.  I was fortunate enough to be growing up in the SF Bay Area during the flower child period, where great rock music was plentiful.  I was a frequent attendee at the Family Dog, the Lion’s Share, Keystone SF, and the Fillmore.  My introduction to jazz was already underway...

Transitioning to jazz was effortless.  Around 1967 a friend of mine put on the turntable the new LP by Blood Sweat & Tears.  I was instantly aware that this music went…

One of the things I love about jazz is how you can get a group of players together who may have never met before, and make music. There is a universality to the language.  I have experienced this often, in combos, jam sessions, and gigs of all varieties.  Players of various experience and proficiency will play tunes with the goals of making the group sound good, and improvising on the changes.  Improvisation is also a key component.  We learn to improvise as we learned to speak, the notes on our…

This blog is brought to you by a jazz musician, that’s me. For the record, I am also a retired firefighter.

This blog is for you, the music lover, jazz fan, musician, student, earth dweller, whomever you are that came upon this jazz oriented place.  I plan to share my experiences here, my journey, it’s challenges, some tips, rants, likes and dislikes, on a weekly basis.  I hope to inform and inspire my readers, as well as to promote this awesome music called jazz.  I’ll not only promote my own music, but…