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Neddy Smith

Neddy Smith: Bassist, Educator, composer, performer and recording artist.

About Me

Neddy Smith is an Internationally well known Bassist, Educator, composer, performer and recording artist. Born in Montego Bay Jamaica, W.I.

Neddy, fuses his cultural tradition with a new perspective on Jazz. His concerts are interactive, energetic, and informative. His music is fresh and enjoyable from the title track of “Mood Swing” to “There Goes Monk,” which is a dedication to one of his early icons of Jazz. Neddy will go into his vocal improvisational style and other tracks from some of his earlier works such as Busting Out and others he has performed but not yet released. To see Neddy in concert is a treat and you’ll love all the musicians he has assembled for his Mood Swing concert

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My Jazz Story

I love Jazz and its cultural and historical traditions. Jazz as a genre is about humanity’s quest towards freedom. But it allows innovation to take place dynamically by embracing new ideas and technologies. For example, when I first met Dizzy Gillespie, I was on tour in England 1982 with the late guitarist, Eric Gale introducing Reggae to a broad audience at a Jazz festival. Before heading off to the Montreux Jazz Festival. Dizzy called me over and gave me the best advice on the harmonic study of 6th chord and dialog in a musical context. It was not until I read an article that Thelonious Monk had stated that the philosophy of Jazz is graciousness and generosity. One of my favorite shows was seeing Stevie Wonder live at MSG. My favorite record was Walking in Space by Quincy Jones. It was one that established a standard for learning from some of the best musicians assembled on a single album. My advice to new listeners: learn the forms but be free to innovation. Jazz was never meant to operate in isolation or static or a single vessel of containment. On the contrary, it was intended to be shared and enjoyed by people of all cultures who desire freedom to express and explore its vast musical depths far beyond its first established norm, cultural boundaries, and traditions.

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