Nate Smith Delivers 'LIVE-ACTION' Album
(twnty three) Nate Smith - the two-time GRAMMY nominee whose drumming, according to The New York Times, "is a marvel unto itself" - releases his new album LIVE-ACTION. It's an emphatic statement of the erstwhile producer, composer, educator, and bandleader's versatility and ever-expanding musical vocabulary.
Incorporating sumptuous and Prince-ly synthetic funk, Afrobeat's deft rhythmic feel, the smoothly psychedelic explorations of jazz fusion, J Dilla's woozy sway, Quincy Jones's cosmopolitan symphonies, and the sensual snap of neo-soul greats like D'Angelo and Maxwell, LIVE-ACTION is both audacious and awe-inspiring. The album doesn't merely traverse through genre exercises; it's a master craftsman, having internalized the mechanics of a wide-ranging collage of sounds and scenes, constructing something altogether his own.
"Last Sight" - which features Josh Johnson, the saxophonist and GRAMMY-winning producer (Meshell Ndegeocello) - is a fitting sampling of LIVE-ACTION's seamless blend of lush sonics and instrumental mastery. Building from a placid pulse that's part Kraftwerk, part Quiet Storm, "Last Sight" pairs Johnson's liquid phrasing with Smith's switchblade precision for a swirling fanfare that, like its accompanying video, captures the simultaneous bustle and quietude of a city at sundown.
Of LIVE-ACTION, Smith explains: "It was a way to activate all of these relationships that I've been building over the last five or six years since the pandemic, many of them through social media... I wanted to make a record that sounded like it was recorded on a cassette in my bedroom. I limited my options. I used analog gear. I used the same instruments throughout the album. I did two or three takes of each element, no copy and pastes or anything like that. All of the instruments on the album are played live, nothing is programmed or sequenced."
The album features performances from horn players Josh Johnson and Marquis Hill; the rapper JSWISS; guitarists Charlie Hunter and Lionel Loueke; bassists Michael League, Ben Williams, and CARRTOONS; keyboardists DJ Harrison and Keifer; the group säje and vocalist Jermaine Holmes; and Lalah Hathaway, who sings an unsurprisingly daring cover of "Automatic," the 1984 hit for The Pointer Sisters.
Nate Smith is an in-demand collaborator, thriving in both the bleeding edge underground jazz scene and the highest echelons of popular music. He's toured and recorded with stars like Brittany Howard, Childish Gambino, Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, and Michael Jackson. He counts among his peers generational talents, from legends like Pat Metheny and Ravi Coltrane to young guns like Fearless Flyers, Josh Johnson, and James Francies.
He's a global touring powerhouse (see his packed itinerary of live dates below) and an accomplished recording artist, recognized with two GRAMMY nominations for his 2017 LP KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere. His unique combination of unreal chops and intuitive communication has translated on social media, where his videos teach complex rhythmic principles and resonate both as showcase and seminar.
Nate Smith will be touring across the US and EU/UK this fall, all dates below.
North America
9/20 - Lexington, KY - Equinox Jazz Festival
9/23 - San Diego, CA - Epstein Family Amphitheater
9/25 - Albuquerque, NM - The Outpost
9/26 - Boulder, CO - Chautauqua Auditorium
9/27 - Denver, CO - Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom
9/29 - Los Angeles, CA - The Lodge Room
10/2 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
10/3 - Portland, OR - The Get Down
10/4 - Oakland, CA - Yoshi's
10/5 - Oakland, CA - Yoshi's
10/8 - Boston, MA - City Winery BOS
10/10 - Washington, D.C. - The Hamilton Live
10/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Perelman Theater
10/12 - New York, NY - Sony Hall
10/14 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
10/16 - Chicago, IL - The Promontory
10/17 - Evanston, IL - Evanston SPACE
10/18 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East
11/29 - Portsmouth, NH - Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club
11/30 - Portsmouth, NH - Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club
12/11 - Milwaukee, WI - Vivarium
12/12 - Iowa City, IA - Club Hancher
12/13 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line
Europe
11/6 - Madrid, ES - Sala Villanos
11/8 - Prague (CZ) - Lucerna Music
11/9 - Brno (CZ) - Sono Center
11/11 - Amsterdam (NL) - Paradiso - Tolhuis
11/12 - Berlin (DE) - Gretchen
11/14 - Paris (F) - New Morning
11/16 - London (UK) - KOKO
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