Hearing a world-class percussionist in one of the area’s most renowned listening rooms is the kind of opportunity that local jazz fans crave. Such an experience is exactly what they’ll get when Grammy-winning drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith hits town.
Smith—who has played on more than 200 albums and toured with everyone from Sonny Rollins to Willie Nelson—will bring his own octet to the Timucua Arts Foundation’s acoustically pristine performance space, The White House.
There’ll be two shows, at 7 and 9 p.m., that will encompass, according to Smith, “some hard bop classics, Latin jazz, and a couple of original compositions.” But at 3 p.m.—well before the combo gets cooking—the storied sticksman will present a clinic for players who want to learn some of his tricks of the trade.
Smith’s clinic and both performances will be livestreamed for home viewing, both in real time and on demand thereafter. His appearance will be presented in tandem with UrbanFest 360°, which is a three-day celebration of culture and community held at the AFRO TV studio on International Drive near Sand Lake Road.
This will actually be the fourth annual edition of UrbanFest 360° (albeit only the second under that name), which is meant as a platform for diverse voices operating in the genres of film, music, fashion and other media.
Smith is on the more established end of that spectrum: His CV includes helping to found the prestigious M-Base Collective (short for Macro-Basic Array of Structured Extemporization)—a highly influential avant-garde movement, musical philosophy and collective of creative jazz musicians.
“Simply put, Smitty is the Coltrane of drummers—a master of his craft and a living legend,” says Timothy Starks, founder and director of UrbanFest 360°. “His artistry, legacy and impact on the culture are unmatched.”
To that end, Starks and his team will present Smith—formerly the powerhouse drummer of The Tonight Show Band during the tenure of Jay Leno—with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Musical Artistry.
Timucua Arts Foundation is located at 2000 South Summerlin Avenue, Orlando. For more information, call or visit the website.
