Smith made his first recordings in 1984, with guitarist Greg Packham. In the following years, he played with Allen Lowe (For Poor B.B. and Others ...), Virginia Mayhew, Richard Peaslee, and with pianist Bill Charlap, with whom he recorded a duo album in 1993 featuring standards like "Donna Lee", "Darn That Dream", and "When Your Lover Has Gone".
In 1999, his debut album Sean Smith Quartet Live was recorded on the SS Norway; his quartet consisted of Allen Mezquida (alto saxophone), Bill Charlap, and Ron Vincent (drums).[3] Two other albums under his own name followed.[4][5]
According to Judith Schlesinger of AllMusic, writing in early 2000s, the "pitch-perfect, fluid, and elegant bassist" is one of the most employed musicians in the international jazz scene.[2]
Smith also composes music for films.
Awards and honors
Smith received the 2007 Back Stage magazine's Bistro Award in the instrumentalist category.[6] His ensemble was awarded the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming in 2015.[7] The song "Song for the Geese" composed by Smith[8] is the title track of an album by Mark Murphy, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.[9] The 2003 album Into the Blue by Emmanuel Pahud and Jacky Terrasson, in which he participated as a bassist, was also nominated for a Grammy.[10]
^Jones, Peter (2018). This is Hip: The Life of Mark Murphy. Popular music history. Sheffield, UK ; Bristol, CT: Equinox Publishing. pp. 114–134. ISBN978-1-78179-473-9.
