Keith Smith (jazz musician)
Keith Smith (born March 19, 1940 in Isleworth , † January 4, 2008 ) was a British jazz trumpeter and singer from Dixieland . He directed and organized various all-star concerts and toured worldwide.
Live and act
Smith trained as a draftsman , but was so enthusiastic about jazz that he left school at the age of 15. He played the trumpet from the age of 17 and from 1957 played in traditional jazz bands . His role models were Louis Armstrong and Red Allen . He also began to organize his own bands early on ( New Teao Brass Band with Chris Barber and Ken Colyer ). In 1961 he was in Germany with trombonist Mac Duncan, played with the Bobby Mickleburgh's Confederates (who wore Confederate uniforms and also appeared on television) and in 1962 visited New Orleans and Los Angeles, where he played with local jazz musicians (he later tried in Bringing British flair to the culinary culture of Louisiana during an extended stay in New Orleans in the 1960s by opening a fish and chip stall, but was pushed out of business by the local "Mafia"). Back in England he founded the Climax Jazzmen .
From the 1960s onwards, Smith played frequently in the United States and Europe. In 1966 he led the New Orleans All Stars (with Pops Foster and Alvin Alcorn ) on tour in Europe and from 1972 to 1974 he played in Papa Bue's Viking jazz band . In 1975 he toured Europe and Japan again and was in Africa in 1975/76. From 1976 he led a band with Ian Wheeler ( Hefty Jazz , after her he is also known as Mr. Hefty jazz ), which he led alone from 1979. From then on he toured with her and played in the Eddie Condon Club in New York in 1985. He also led a band with musicians from the Louis Armstrong All Stars, with whom he toured Europe in 1983/84. He often organized his concert tours according to special themes ( George Gershwin , Hoagy Carmichael with singer Georgie Fame , Cole Porter , A Hundred Years of Dixieland Jazz with singer Elaine Delmar , a Fats Waller Revue, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong , From Basin Street to Broadway ). Most recently he lived in Germany for a longer period.
He was married three times (and divorced three times).
Lexical entry
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz music. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .
- John Chilton Who's Who of British Jazz , Continuum 2004
Web links
- Obituary in the Guardian
- Keith Smith at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Smith, Keith |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz trumpeter and band leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 19, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Isleworth |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 4, 2008 |