Derek Smith (17 August 1931 – 19 August 2016) was a British

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 ...

pianist.

Biography

Born in London, his father Sidney was an Inland Revenue employee. His mother, Lillian, made the decision that he was to take up piano lessons. He was influenced by jazz pianist

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

after listening to his recordings in the 1940s. Smith played his first professional gig when he was fourteen. Someone rolled a piano out into the street, and he played for the

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

celebrations in May, 1945. Over his parents' protestations, he joined

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

's band when

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)British jazz British jazz is a form of music derived from American jazz. It reached Britain through recordings and performers who visited the country while it was a relatively new genre, soon after the end of World War I. Jazz began to be played by British ...

musicians, including Kenny Graham and Kenny Baker. Smith also began performing and recording for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, but soon realised the place for him professionally, was America. Smith immigrated to the United States with no job awaiting him. Fourteen days after arriving in New York, he recorded with the

Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical music, classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. For most of its history the Quartet consisted of John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis (piano), ...

. One of his first engagements was working with his trio opposite

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...

and

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 ...

at Basin Street East in New York. He joined

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

's band in 1961, and was pianist on ''Benny Goodman – The Swing Era'', released by Time/Life Records, as well as working with

Connie Kay Conrad Henry Kirnon (April 27, 1927 – November 30, 1994) known professionally as Connie Kay, was an American jazz and R&B drummer, who was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Self-taught on drums, he began performing in Los Angeles in the mid ...

and recording copiously as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

. Derek Smith met

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) a ...

when both were contracted to play a society gig. Later, when Severinsen was named leader of the NBC Orchestra, "

The Tonight Show Band The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show ''The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and w ...

", he called Smith to be the pianist. Smith played with the band for seven years while continuing to record daily in New York studios and work with Benny Goodman. When ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' moved to the West Coast, Smith opted to stay in New York and continue his career as a "first call" studio musician. Smith led his own band on NBC's ''

Musical Chairs Musical chairs, also known as Trip to Jerusalem, is a game of elimination involving players, chairs, and music. It is a staple of many parties worldwide. Gameplay A set of chairs is arranged with one fewer chair than the number of players ...

'' game show after he left ''The Tonight Show''. After "Musical Chairs" was cancelled, he began concentrating on jazz concert performances while continuing to record. Smith's trio album, ''Love for Sale'', was nominated for a Grammy Award on 1989. Smith has around 30 albums as leader to his credit in the United States and Japan. Described by critics as "fiery", "passionate", and having "an evil left hand", he was a frequent headliner at jazz festivals around the world. Smith may be heard on recordings ranging from the popular

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

and Steve Lawrence/Eydie Gorme tracks, recorded in the 1960s, to jazz albums with

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Buddy DeFranco Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco (February 17, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and ...

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, ...

Milt Hinton Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer. Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included "Sporty" from his years in Chicago, "Fump" from his time on the ...

, and

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

. The material Smith has recorded also includes movie sound tracks among them

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's ''

Hannah and Her Sisters ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film was written and directed by Woody Allen, who ...

'' (1986), ''

Crimes and Misdemeanors ''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' is a 1989 American existential comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, and Joanna Gleason. The fil ...

'' (1989) and

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

's ''

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine ''Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Apple ...

;'' (1993). The roster of singers with whom Derek Smith performed go from

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

Placido Domingo Placido may refer to: People Surname *José Plácido de Castro (1873–1908), Brazilian soldier and politician *Michele Placido, (born 1946) Italian actor and director * Plácido Vega y Daza, (1830-1878) 19th century Mexican general and politician ...

and Robert Palmer (in the Royal Albert Hall). Lyricist

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...

, a good friend until his death, comedian Steve Allen, and many other performers have frequently called upon his accompanying and conducting skills. He continued to work with Goodman in the 1970s, and recorded as a leader from 1978. He worked as a solo performer into the 2000s and also played in a trio with

Bobby Rosengarden Robert Marshall Rosengarden (April 23, 1924 – February 27, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A native of Elgin, Illinois, United States, he played on many recordings and in television orchestras and talk show bands. Rosenga ...

and

. Smith died in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 2016 aged 85.

Discography

As leader

* ''Swingin' with Derek'' (Norma, 1961) * ''Toasting'' (Time, 1962) * ''Don't Let Go'' (1974) * ''The Man I Love'' ( Progressive, 1978) * ''My Favorite Things'' (Progressive, 1978) * ''Love for Sale'' (Progressive, 1978) * ''Bluesette'' (Progressive, 1978) * ''I'm Old Fashioned'' (Progressive, 1980) * ''Derek Smith Trio Plays Jerome Kern'' (Progressive, 1980) * ''Dark Eyes'' (

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett ...

, 1983) * ''Derek Smith Plays the Passionate Piano'' (Special Music, 1987) * ''Live Concert'' with Dick Hyman (Jass, 1992) * ''The Trio – 1994'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

, 1994) * ''New Orleans Mardi Gras Explosion'' (Special Music, 1994) * ''Dixieland Dance Party'' (

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, 1995) * ''Dick and Derek at the Movies'' with Dick Hyman ( Arbors, 1998) * ''High Energy'' (Arbors, 2002) * ''Live in London'' (Harkit, 2004) * ''Pan Montuno'' (Derek Smith, 2005) * ''To Love Again'' (

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, 2009) * ''Beautiful Love'' (Venus, 2009) * ''Constellation Jazz: Four Stars on a Brilliant Night at "Struggles" Jazz Club'' (Progressive, 2010)

As sideman

With

* 1968 ''The Great Arrival'' * 1970 ''Doc Severinsen's Closet'' With

Marlena Shaw Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul music, soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in Hip hop music, hip hop mus ...

* 1972 '' Marlena'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

) * 1973 ''

From the Depths of My Soul ''From the Depths of My Soul'' is an album by American vocalist Marlena Shaw recorded in 1973 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note) With

Tony Mottola Anthony C. Mottola (April 18, 1918 – August 9, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist who released dozens of solo albums. Mottola was born in Kearny, New Jersey and died in Denville. Career Like many of his contemporaries, Mottola began ...

* 1973 ''Tony Mottola and the Quad Guitars'' * 1974 ''Tony Mottola and the Brass Menagerie'' With

Linda Lewis Linda Ann Fredericks (born 27 September 1950), better known as Linda Lewis, is an English vocalist, songwriter and guitarist. She is the eldest of six children, three of whom also had singing careers. She is best known for the singles " Rock-a ...

* 1975 ''Not a Little Girl Anymore'' * 1977 ''Woman Overboard'' With

Arnett Cobb Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

* 1978 '' Arnett Cobb Is Back'' ( Progressive) * 1980 '' Funky Butt'' (Progressive) With

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 albu ...

* 1975 ''The Tiger of San Pedro'' * 1982 ''Roarin' Back into New York City'' * 2000 ''Live at the Blue Note'' With

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

* 1983 ''American Music Box, Vol. 1'' * 1983 ''I Dig Big Band Singers'' * 1984 ''Live at Carnegie Hall & Montreaux, Switzerland'' * 1989 ''What a Wonderful World'' * 1992 ''Memories of Louis'' With

* 1986 ''Louis Bellson & His Jazz Orchestra'' * 1990 ''Airmail Special: A Salute to the Big Band Masters'' * 1992 ''Peaceful Thunder'' * 1994 ''Live from New York'' With

* 1990 ''Like Someone in Love'' * 2007 ''Charlie Cat 2'' With

Flip Phillips Joseph Edward Filippelli (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001), known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic conce ...

* 1993 ''Live at the 1993 Floating Jazz Festival'' * 1999 ''John & Joe Revisited'' * 2003 ''Celebrates His 80th Birthday'' With

* 1990 ''Old Man Time'' * 1994 ''Laughing at Life'' With

* 1993 ''B. G. World Wide'' * 1997 ''Live Down Under 1973 with Zoot Sims'' With Dick Meldonian * 1989 '' 'S Wonderful'' * 1994 ''You've Changed'' With others * 1958 ''Jazz Piano International'', with

Dick Katz Richard Aaron Katz (March 13, 1924 – November 10, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, arranger and record producer. He freelanced throughout much of his career, and worked in a number of ensembles. He co-founded Milestone Records in 1966 with Or ...

René Urtreger René Urtreger (born July 6, 1934) is a French bebop pianist. Early life Urtreger was born in Paris and began his piano studies at the age of four, studying privately first, and then at the Conservatory. He studied with an orientation toward jaz ...

(Atlantic) * 1983 ''They Got Rhythm: Live'',

Dick Hyman Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Art ...

* 1969 ''A Breath of Fresh Air'',

Marlene VerPlanck Marlene Paula VerPlanck ''(née'' Pampinella; November 11, 1933 – January 14, 2018) was an American jazz and pop vocalist whose body of work centered on big band jazz, the American songbook, and cabaret. Life and career VerPlanck was born and ...

* 1971 ''Permissive Polyphonics'', Enoch Light & the Light Brigade * 1975 ''Supernatural Thing'',

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

* 1977 ''

Baritone Madness ''Baritone Madness'', is the debut album by baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola's Sextet featuring Pepper Adams which was recorded in late 1977 becoming the first release on the Bee Hive label.

'',

Nick Brignola Nicholas Thomas "Nick" Brignola (July 17, 1936 – February 8, 2002) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. Biography Brignola was born on July 17, 1936 in Troy, New York. He was born into a musical family in which his father played the tu ...

* 1978 ''

Starfingers ''Starfingers'' is an album by guitarist Sal Salvador that was recorded in 1978 and released on the Bee Hive label.Sal Salvador Sal Salvador (November 21, 1925 – September 22, 1999) was an American bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator. He was born in Monson, Massachusetts, United States, and began his professional career in New York City. He eventually mo ...

* 1980 ''Inflation'',

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion dur ...

* 1980 ''Pee Wee in New York'',

Pee Wee Erwin George "Pee Wee" Erwin (May 30, 1913 – June 20, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography He was born in Falls City, Nebraska, United States. Erwin started on trumpet at age four. He played in several territory bands before joining the gr ...

* 1983 ''June Night'',

Svend Asmussen Svend Asmussen (28 February 1916 – 7 February 2017) was a Danish jazz violinist, known as "The Fiddling Viking". A Swing style virtuoso, he played and recorded with many of the other jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and S ...

* 1992 ''Ridin' High'', Robert Palmer * 1994 ''Special Relationship'',

Jimmy Knepper James Minter Knepper (November 22, 1927 – June 14, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. In addition to his own recordings as leader, Knepper performed and recorded with Charlie Barnet, Woody Herman, Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Benny Goo ...

Joe Temperley Joe Temperley (20 September 1929 – 11 May 2016) was a Scottish jazz saxophonist. He performed with various instruments, but was most associated with the baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, and bass clarinet. Life Temperley was born in Cowd ...

Bobby Wellins Robert Coull Wellins (24 January 1936 – 27 October 2016) was a Scottish tenor saxophonist who collaborated with Stan Tracey on the album ''Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"'' (1965). Biography Robert Coull Wellins was ...

* 1995 ''For Your Ears Only'', Bob Stewart * 1999 ''The John Lewis Piano/Jazz Piano International'',

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

* 1999 ''Watching & Waiting'',

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

* 2000 ''QuaDRUMvirate'',

Ronnie Bedford Ronnie Bedford (June 2, 1931 – December 20, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and professor. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bedford was one of the founders of the Yellowstone Jazz Festival held annually in Cody, Wyoming, and was the recipi ...

* 2001 ''I'll Never Forget You'', Debra Holly * 2002 ''Plays Not Quite Two Dozen'', Kenny Baker * 2002 ''Something Borrowed, Something Blue'', Jerry Jerome * 2002 ''The Giants at Bob Haggart's 80th Birthday Party'',

Bob Haggart Robert Sherwood Haggart (March 13, 1914 – December 2, 1998) was an American dixieland jazz double bass player, composer, and arranger. Although he is associated with dixieland, he was one of the finest rhythm bassists of the Swing Era. Music c ...

* 2003 ''As He Wanted to Be Remembered'',

Walt Levinsky Walt Levinsky (April 18, 1929 – December 14, 1999) was an American big band and orchestral player, composer, arranger, and bandleader. While many of his big band assignments were as lead alto sax player, his favorite instrument was the clari ...

* 2003 ''Smile/Tarrytown Tenor'', Carmen Leggio * 2005 ''Tommy Newsom and His Octo-Pussycats'',

Tommy Newsom Thomas Penn Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', for which he later became assistant director. Newsom was frequently the band's substitute dir ...

* 2006 ''Spread a Little Happiness'',

* 2007 ''Once More with Feeling'',

Phil Bodner Philip L. Bodner (June 13, 1917 – February 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist and studio musician who also played flute, oboe, saxophone, and English horn. Career A native of Waterbury, Connecticut, Bodner worked as a studio musician ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Derek 1931 births 2016 deaths people from Stratford, London English jazz pianists Musicians from London English session musicians People educated at Ilford County High School The Tonight Show Band members Statesmen of Jazz members Arbors Records artists Chiaroscuro Records artists Venus Records artists Prestige Records artists

Biography

Discography

As leader

As sideman

See also

References