The fans of drummer Steve Smith are in for a musical ride as he will perform four consecutive weekends at the Birdland Theater, downstairs at the Birdland Jazz Club. Each weekend will focus on the music of four different jazz giants and feature a revolving cast of players. The bands will play two sets eat at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm.
Steve Smith’s drumming, while always modern and contemporary, can best be described as a style that resembles the history of U.S. music. His original love of parade drumming is evident in his intricate solos.
Likewise, his mastery of jazz, from New Orleans music, swing, bebop, and avant-garde to fusion, is applied with his powerful rock drumming understanding that allows him to push the boundaries of all styles to new heights. His musical focus is committed to the exploration of improvised music incorporating styles as diverse as Blues, Jazz, R&B, Funk, Cajun, and South Indian Carnatic.
Smith’s amazing solos and intricate timekeeping served to gain him much acclaim from sources such as Modern Drummer magazine, whose readers recently voted him the #1 Fusion Drummer of 2012.
He has been voted #1 “All-Around” Drummer five years in a row, in 2001 Modern Drummer magazine named Steve as one of the “Top 25 Drummer of All Time”, in 2002 he was voted into the “Modern Drummer Hall of Fame” and in 2003 his Hudson Music DVD Steve Smith Drumset Technique – History of the U.S. Beat was voted #1 Educational DVD of 2003. The 2008, 2009 and 2010 Drum! magazine readers poll voted Smith #1 Jazz Drummer, and in 2009 Drum! readers voted Steve Smith Drum Legacy – Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants the #1 educational DVD.
In 2005, Steve was invited to be the first drummer to perform at Zakir Hussain’s annual concert in Mumbai, India called Homage to Abbaji, a concert dedicated to the memory of Zakir’s father and tabla guru, Allahrakha. In 2009 Steve played at Carnegie Hall in NYC with a special quartet version of Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion that also featured “Vikku” Vinayakram and Giovanni Hidalgo.
In 2011 and 2012, Steve was touring with the virtuosic jazz pianist Hiromi as a member of her “Trio Project” which also featured Anthony Jackson on bass.
Steve Smith continues to tour with Vital Information and gives clinics all over the world. As always, his eclectic view of drumming informs his performances, teaching, and recording, and he seeks out new music and concepts wherever he can find them.