Charlie Smith (April 15, 1927 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

– January 15, 1966 in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

), was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer. Smith played locally in New York in the late 1940s before taking a position accompanying

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

. He worked briefly with the

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's Orchestra in 1951 before being replaced by

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

, and also played with

Joe Bushkin Joe Bushkin (November 7, 1916 – November 3, 2004) was an American jazz pianist. Life and career Born in New York City, Bushkin began his career by playing trumpet and piano with New York City dance bands, including Frank LaMare's Band a ...

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, Slim Gaillard,

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, and

Slam Stewart Leroy Eliot "Slam" Stewart (September 21, 1914December 10, 1987) was an American jazz double bass player, whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass (arco) and simultaneously hum or sing an octave higher. He was a violinist before swi ...

. He performed on television with

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and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

in 1952, and later in the 1950s worked with

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...

Aaron Bell Aaron Bell may refer to: * Aaron Bell (musician) Samuel Aaron Bell (April 24, 1921 – July 28, 2003) was an American jazz double-bassist. Career Bell was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on April 24, 1921. He played piano as a child and learned to pl ...

, and

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. He relocated to New Haven around 1960, where he played with

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and Dwike Mitchell in a trio setting. He also worked as an educator late in life.

Discography

* Mitchell-Ruff Trio, ''The Catbird Seat'' (Atlantic, 1961; reissued on CD combined with Les McCann, ''Much Les'' as ''20 Special Fingers'') * Mitchell-Ruff Trio, ''After this Message'' (Atlantic, 1966) * Ella Fitzgerald With Ray Brown Trio & Quintet Featuring Charlie Smith, Hank Jones, Kai Winding, Allen Eager Plus Lester Young, Brew Moore, Roy Haynes, ''Royal Roost Sessions'' (Cool & Blue, 1993) * Oscar Pettiford Quartet with Billy Taylor, Charles Mingus, Charlie Smith, ''Discoveries'' (Savoy, 1952)

References

*Rick Mattingly, "Charlie Smith". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Charlie 1927 births 1966 deaths American jazz drummers Musicians from New York City 20th-century American drummers American male drummers Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Oscar Peterson Trio members