Bill Smith, aka William O. Smith
Spinning on Air | May 18, 2010
Don't let his average-guy name fool you; there's nothing average about clarinetist and composer Bill Smith! Now in his 78th year, Smith has spent more than half a century connecting musical worlds and extending the possibilities of his instrument.
Smith's first recordings were made in the 1940s with Dave Brubeck's experimental Octet (Smith continues to record and perform with Brubeck to this day), and ever since Smith has been creating exciting, daring music that elegantly crosses the "boundaries" between jazz and concert music. On this show Smith visits with host David Garland for the second time to share his music and to pull his clarinet to pieces in order to play it. In 1960 Smith used his prestigious Prix de Rome Fellowship to begin investigating and cataloging extended techniques on the clarinet, using unusual fingerings and configurations to produce unusual sonic colors. He'll demonstrate some of these techniques in the WNYC studio, and we'll hear recordings such as his Concerto for Clarinet and Combo, and more.
» Bill Smith's website
Smith's first recordings were made in the 1940s with Dave Brubeck's experimental Octet (Smith continues to record and perform with Brubeck to this day), and ever since Smith has been creating exciting, daring music that elegantly crosses the "boundaries" between jazz and concert music. On this show Smith visits with host David Garland for the second time to share his music and to pull his clarinet to pieces in order to play it. In 1960 Smith used his prestigious Prix de Rome Fellowship to begin investigating and cataloging extended techniques on the clarinet, using unusual fingerings and configurations to produce unusual sonic colors. He'll demonstrate some of these techniques in the WNYC studio, and we'll hear recordings such as his Concerto for Clarinet and Combo, and more.
» Bill Smith's website
