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" Mother, Gwendolyn Smith, a calypso, jazz and gospel style singer from Hamilton, Bermuda,
put a folk guitar in my hands at 10 yrs of age. My moms voice was reminiscent of local
Chicagoan, Dinah Washington " .
" Well the lower guitar strings appealed more, so I began transposing those radio tunes right
away on the guitar. As I listened to the radio, in Chicago, to the music of the day, temptations,
james brown, beatles, miracles, brenton wood, archie bell and the drells, the bass lines instead
of guitar riffs reached out and grabbed my ear. My brother , went to a local pawn shop and
bought a Kingston electric bass for $39.00 " .
" I began performing electric bass 3 yrs later in talent shows at J.M. Harlan High School on
Chicago's south side.. I ended up trading that electric bass to my friend and neighbor Steve
Palmore, now a New York area bassist, author and composer and alumnus of the Ellington
Orchestra. I was in a band called the Soul Merchants. Everybody wanted to sound like the
Temptations. We had a lead singer named Leonard Lucas, who had a gritty voice just like
James Ruffin. My brother sang the high tenor leads. Boy was that fun !That year was 1968. The
soul music explosion was upon us. The Five Stairsteps, whose hit single Ooh ooh Child, made it
out of our high school to Los Angeles. From that point on I always saw the value of ensemble
performance. Much of the great music of our day comes from ensemble performance " .
" After high school studied string bass with Harold Siegal, formerly with the Indianapolis
Symphony while attending the Chicago Music College of Roosevelt University" .
Smith moved to Madison Wisconsin to briefly study with jazz bassist Richard Davis and bassist
Laura Snyder of the Milwaukee Symphony. While in Madison, co-formed the Smith Myers
Group with then med student and pianist Ronald V. Myers. Myers,
http://www.myersfoundation.net/ is currently a physician and jazz trumpet/pianist in the
Mississippi Delta area.
Moved to California, where his parents resided and enrolled in the University of California
system with the help of bassist Bertram Turetsky. Received a special stipend from the
UC-Riverside to study with L.A. Philharmonic bassist Frederick D. Tinsley. That relationship
was a perfect match and continued for over four years. While a student, performed with the
Riverside Civic Light Opera as a bassist in their pit orchestra. Shows included actress Dorothy
Lamour in South Pacific. Also worked at the historic Mission Inn in the presidential room as a
duo with a local pianist.
Then transfered to UCLA and continued to study with Tinsley. Received an outstanding
performance award while a member of the UCLA Jazz Ensemble which featured alto
saxophonist Dave Koz and trombonist Alex Iles.
Founder of the Los Angeles Bass Violin Choir, a group of prominent L.A. area bassists
performing special arrangements by Smith and New York bassist Bill Lee. Bill Lee, father of
director Spike Lee, and founder of the New York Bass Violin Choir, premiered many unique
compositions and arrangements in his son's earlier films. Regular players consisted of
Frederick Tinsley, the late Andy Simpkins and George "Red" Callendar, John Heard,
Bertram Turetsky, and Herbie Lewis. Additional players to perform with the bass choir were
bassists Roberto Miranda, James Leary and Alan Jackson. The late drummer Sherman
Ferguson and Pianist Cecil Lytle also performed with the choir. Invited to be a guest clinician at
UC-San Diego Dept of Music to conduct a Master Class with Double Bass students with
Professor and bass choir member Bert Turetsky .
Has performed with Dorothy Ashby, Eddie Harris, Teddy Edwards, Buddy Collette, Jimmie
Cheatheam , Clayton Cameron and other jazz artists in the Los Angeles area. Most recently,
performing World Music with Rumba Menco and Strings N Company.
Background music recorded Nov/05 at Trackstar Studios, San Diego, California Josquin des
Pres Producer. Personnel : Clayton Cameron - drums and percussion, Moris Koriel - Lead
guitar, Jaime Michel - Rhythm Guitar and Smith on double-bass. Brett Wiesmann Engineer.
Above,herbert on fender performing
at UW-Madison 1978.. UCLA'S
Royce Hall 1983. At Trackstar
Studio in San Diego, Ca Nov. 2005.
Corona, Ca recording Dec. 2005
at UW-Madison 1978.. UCLA'S
Royce Hall 1983. At Trackstar
Studio in San Diego, Ca Nov. 2005.
Corona, Ca recording Dec. 2005
