Nick Smith is a seasoned professional with over ten years’ performance experience, in that time being lucky enough to work with artists as varied as great American trumpeter Bobby Shew,
British multiple jazz award winner Alan Barnes, Big Band frontman and ’professional nephew’ John Miller,
soul legends Jimmy James and the Vagabonds,
Sheffield star ascendent Richard Hawley, Big Band singer Lee Gibson, and Bernie Clifton and his Ostrich.
Nick is available for concerts, events, weddings, parties, theatre shows and other engagements on a freelance basis, as well as teaching the saxophone.
To make enquiries or bookings, please contact him through this Space, or CLICK HERE TO EMAIL NICK.
He is able to play tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxes, doubles on clarinet and bass clarinet and is currently mastering the flute, further enhancing his versatility.
Nick’s main influences are Big Band players like the great Johnny Hodges, through Marshall Royal, Lockjaw Davis, Pepper Adams, Eric Dolphy and Joe Henderson to contemporary players like Denis DiBlasio, Ronnie Cuber and the amazing, sadly departed Michael Brecker.
He also enjoys playing funk and blues - major influences here being Cannonball Adderley, Herbie Hancock, Bob James, and Maceo Parker.
Nick is currently touring nationally and internationally with the revered theatre show Jake & Elwood, paying tribute to the Blues Brothers in a theatre near you soon!
Here’s a taster of the show, live at the NIA, Birmingham, at Christmas...
He is also the leader of Mulligan Soup, a piano-less quartet playing cool jazz in the style of the famous Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker collaborations of the 1950’s.
In addition to this, he regularly performs with many other groups around the country, including
The example tracks provided above are part of a hastily assembled demo Nick recorded with friends Jez Matthews and Richard Keates (the "Jez Matthews Project") in the Stables, in Sheffield in March 2005. More examples will be available soon!
hi nick, thanks for your email. trying to send you a message via your myspace as ive deleted your email in error, but it is blocked. please get back in touch in with me
Hi Nick, how's things? Not seen you since Lee's birthday! Anyway hope you're well and keepin busy..Be good to have a jam sometime eh? Catch up soon? Cheers..J
An ode to Tin Bum
"we sang, we danced, we cried, and oh how we missed the wailing agony stick of Tin Bum. Then we drank beer and evrything was ok again"
Missed you last weekend mate, see you at the Stan Tracey gig.
Mr Smith! Thanks for your unsurprisingly impeccable playing yesterday, the whold gig was fab and very well received! Hope you managed to get to your next gig ok. C U Soon. G
He he! Ah yes, we drummers love sax players. Drink in front of our sorry faces all night and then ask us for a lift at the end of it! I'm not bitter, I just like bitter! (Whehey) Erm, yeah the course is gud, apart from the academic hand-in dates. But it's better than real work eh? Gud2c ur keepin busy. Money's hard earned isn't it?! Gud recordins on ur page. Where did u record?
Hi Nick
Just stopped by to say Hi!
Great Sounds - ! Autumn Leaves is an extremely personal & important tune for me.
The Debbie Curtis Radio Big Band
Putting the BIG back in Big Band Jazz & Swing
www.debbiecurtis.co.uk
Hi Nick! Yeah, it's been a while! I dept for a SUJO gig on Monday and Henry and Lee (and obviously Nick) were there. Was good to see them and have a catch up and a blow! Brought back some memories and yeah though about you! Hope you've still got that beautiful alto!! Yeah, still got me fingers in some musical pies ... The quartet tracks you've got there, is that all you?! xx
