Hal
Smith
Hal
Smith
Hal Smith was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1953; was raised in La Jolla, California. He became interested in jazz after hearing the Firehouse Five Plus Two at Disneyland in the early '60s. He took up drums in 1963 and was greatly influenced by live performances by Ben Pollack, Nick Fatool, Fred Higuera, Smokey Stover, Wayne Jones and others. He is self-taught except for study with Jake Hanna in 1983. He has been a full-time musician since 1978.
Hal has worked with the Lawson-Haggart Jazz Band, Jim Cullum Jazz Band, Dukes Of Dixieland, Turk Murphy's Jazz Band, Summit Reunion, Climax Jazz Band, Grand Dominion Jazz Band, Silver Leaf Jazz Band, Chicago Rhythm, Marty Grosz's Orphan Newsboys, South Frisco Jazz Band, Dixieland Rhythm Kings, Hot Antic Jazz Band, Golden State Jazz Band, Doc Cheatham, Wild Bill Davison, Billy Butterfield, Don Kinch, Dick Wellstood, Ralph Sutton, Bud Freeman, Art Hodes, Percy and Willie Humphrey, Norma Teagarden, Ed Polcer, Johnny Varro, Vernel Bagneris, Orange Kellin, Paul Asaro, Tim Laughlin, Rebecca Kilgore and others. As a bandleader he has been in charge of the Roadrunners, Down Home Jazz Band, Frisco Syncopators, New Orleans Wanderers, Creole Sunshine Jazz Band and the Rhythmakers.
Currently, Hal works with the Butch Thompson Trio, Bob Schulz's Frisco Jazz Band, the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, Alan Adams' New Orleans Wanderers, the Bobby Gordon Trio/Sextet and Leon Oakley's Friends of Jazz Band. He also leads two bands: Hal's Angels and the Jazz Chihuahuas.
Hal has made around 150 recording sessions on LP, CD, audio and videotape, including releases on JAZZOLOGY, GOOD TIME JAZZ, STOMP OFF, ARBORS, TRIANGLE and GHB. In addition, he has produced CDs by Ben Pollack (JAZZOLOGY), Lu Watters (MERRY MAKERS, GHB), Kansas City Frank Melrose (BLACK SWAN) and Pat Yankee (GHB), plus assisting with production of CDs by West Coast bands which were issued by the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation. He has performed on American Public Radio with the Butch Thompson Trio ("A Prairie Home Companion") and on Riverwalk with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band and the Roadrunners. Hal has appeared on KPBS broadcasts of "Club Date" (with Scott Hamilton, Kenny Davern, Rebecca Kilgore) and "Newton's Apple" (Silver Leaf Jazz Band).
Besides working as a musician, Hal is the Administrative and Media Director of America's Finest City Dixieland Jazz Society--San Diego and is the faculty drum instructor at the AFCDJS Adult Traditional Jazz Camp.
He is serving on the board of governors of the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation and is a board member of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation. He is also the SFTJF Curator of Archives and Special Projects Consultant. Hal is a contributing writer for MISSISSIPPI RAG, JAZZ RAMBLER (AFCDJS), AMERICAN RAG, FRISCO CRICKET (San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation) and JUST JAZZ (published in Great Britain). Hal's favorite drummers include Sid Catlett, Jo Jones, Dave Tough, Ben Pollack, Nick Fatool, Zutty Singleton, Ray Bauduc, Baby Dodds and many others.
