Hal Smith Jazz

I am an old-school drummer who celebrates classic jazz of the 1920s and 1930s and the New Orleans Revival.

About Me

When I took up drumming in 1963, my inspirations were live performances by

Ben Pollack, Nick Fatool, Fred Higuera and Wayne Jones. I also studied recordings by Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, Paul Barbarin, Ray Bauduc, Dave Tough, Sid Catlett, George Wettling, Vic Berton, Stan King, Harry Dial, Johnny Wells and Morey Feld and took lessons from Jake Hanna.

I worked with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, Soprano Summit, Butch Thompson Trio, Climax Jazz Band, Lawson-Haggart Jazz Band, Grand Dominion Jazz Band, Dukes of Dixieland and many Western Swing, Rockabilly, Blues and Contemporary Swing bands. In addition to performances on Minnesota Public Radio's "A Prairie Home Companion" and Texas Public Radio's "Riverwalk: Live From The Landing" I have appeared on over 200 recordings.

Currently I co-lead the Oliver-Smith Incomparables (with pianist Andrew Oliver) and lead the Hal Smith Trio; El Dorado Jazz Band; New Orleans Night Owls; Mortonia Seven; and the

San Francisco Jazz All-Stars.

I also work as a sideman with Banu Gibson's New Orleans Hot Jazz and Grammy Award-winner Floyd Domino and his All-Stars.

Besides playing music, I am on the faculty of the New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp and the Board of Directors of the Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Society/Jazz Festival. I am also a contributing writer to The Syncopated Times.

Oliver - Smith Incomparables

The Oliver - Smith Incomparables perform the music of Jelly Roll Morton as well as the classic jazz of King Oliver, Kid Ory, Johnny Dodds, Freddie Keppard, Bennie Moten, the New Orleans Owls and the Halfway House Orchestra in an authentic style that is also full of originality.

Andrew Oliver - piano, co-leader
Hal Smith - drums, co - leader

Colin Hancock - cornet

T.J. Muller - trombone

Andy Schumm - clarinet

Jacob Alspach - banjo, guitar

Dan Anderson - double bass, tuba

The Hal Smith Trio

The Hal Smith Trio performs a wide variety of piano-centric material associated with Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Jess Stacy, Joe Sullivan and others plus features for bass and drums.

Kris Tokarski - piano
Steve Pikal - double bass
Hal Smith - drums, leader

Upcoming Events

Oct. 3 - 5: REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL with El Dorado Jazz Band, Mortonia Seven, Alice Spencer, Miss Jubilee, Naomi and her Handsome Devils and Jonathan Stout's Campus Five. https://www.rcmfest.org/

Oct. 12: GOLDEN HOUR JAZZ JAM 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. BATCH - 3220 Manor Rd., Austin, TX

Oct. 13: SWING NIGHT AT RADIO EAST 7:30 - 9:45 p.m. RADIO EAST - 3504 Montopolis Dr., Austin, TX

Nov. 15: AUSTIN LINDY EXCHANGE with Golden Hour Orchestra 9:00 p.m. - midnight. Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Mansion, 2312 San Gabriel St., Austin, TX

Nov. 28: FOCAL POINT CONCERT with Miss Jubilee and her Yas Yas Boys 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. Focal Point, 2720 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, MO

Nov. 30: JAZZ BRUNCH with Miss Jubilee and her Yas Yas Boys 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Evangeline's Music House and Bistro, 512 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis MO

Recordings

Here are a few of the traditional jazz albums I have produced which are available from the HAL SMITH page on Bandcamp.com. (Click on the BANDCAMP link at the bottom of this page to be redirected).