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" Living with the double bass and the electric bass over the years has been a
challenging and rewarding experience both personally through the people that I have
met, and musically, through the repetoire of different genres, styles and songs that I
have discovered and performed."
Received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Performance in the Double-Bass from the
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) under the direction of Los Angeles
Philharmonic bassist Frederick D. Tinsley in 1983. Attended California Institute of the
Arts (CalArts) in 1984 on a Masters Program scholarship to continue studying with
Tinsley and perform with the CalArts symphony and chamber orchestras.
Also studied privately on double bass with Harold Siegel, Steve Rodby, Richard Davis
and Laura Snyder, and on electric bass and jazz improvisation with noted session
bassist, clinician and author Carol Kaye.
,Smith has performed with numerous jazz artists including the late jazz harpist Dorothy
Ashby, sax men Eddie Harris and Teddy Edwards and Buddy Collette, pianist Art Hillery,
trombonist Jimmie Cheatham, veteran drummers Sherman Ferguson and Clayton
Cameron and many others. Smith, along with New York bassist Bill Lee , co-founded the
Los Angeles Bass Violin Choir, a group of prominent L.A. area double-bassists
performing special arrangements by him and Lee. Bill Lee, father of director Spike Lee,
and founder of the New York Bass Violin Choir. That group consisted of Ron Carter,
Richard Davis, Lisle Atkinson and Milt Hinton. The L.A. group consisted of the late Andy
Simpkins, George “Red” Callendar, John Heard, Bertram Turetsky and Herbie Lewis,
along with Smith. Additional players to perform with the group were James Leary, Alan
Jackson and Roberto Miranda. Cecil Lytle , pianist and drummer Sherman Ferguson
also performed with bass ensemble.
Most recently, performing World Music with " RumbaMenco " in addition to freelancing
and recording with many spanish-afro cuban groups in the Southern California area
and performs nightly with many international artists and as " house bassist " at the
Caspian and Four Season's Restaurant in Irvine, California.
Herbert D. Smith- Bass
