Walter Smith III has been burning the candle at both ends. As he connected with JazzTimes via Zoom from a New York City hotel room in mid-March, a flurry of activity surrounded him. He spent the previous weekend playing with both the Maria Schneider Orchestra and vocalist Sara Gazarek in their respective performances at Birdland, kicked off a weeklong run with drummer Bill Stewart’s trio at the Village Vanguard the night before this virtual listening session, and completed six hours of work on schedules for the summer and fall semesters at Berklee College of Music—his alma mater, where he now serves as the chair of the woodwind department—shortly before we logged on. One might think such a workload and pace would sap him of his energy, but he was right as rain and raring to go. That same focus and enthusiasm that Smith showed for our get-together seems to factor into all of his many pursuits, making him one of the most in-demand saxophonists on the scene today.
Since releasing his debut album 16 years ago, Smith has seemed almost omnipresent. His sideman credits include work with trumpeters Ambrose Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and Sean Jones; pianists Jason Moran, Gerald Clayton, and Danny Grissett; drummers Roy Haynes, Eric Harland, Donald Edwards, Kendrick Scott, and Ralph Peterson; and numerous others, including bassist Christian McBride and vibraphonist Warren Wolf. Having appeared on more than 100 recordings, including recent releases from trumpeter Marquis Hill and drummer Matt Slocum, Smith proves as powerful and thought-provoking a presence in the studio as he is on stage.
His own leader discography reveals that too. With a handful of well-received dates under his own name spanning formats from the compact chordless trio (on 2018’s ) to a sturdy sextet, Smith has carved out, released five days before we spoke, finds Smith and Stevens meeting up with an exceptional x-factor in the form of pianist Kris Davis, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington.
