15th May 2020: #WhirlwindInFocus: Chatting basketball, Billie Eilish and keeping busy with Walter Smith III
The next guest on the latest edition of #WhirlwindInFocus is tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III. Walter is in high demand as a leader, collaborator and sideman for some of the biggest acts in jazz. He followed his 2018 Whirlwind debut Twio with In Common (featuring. Matthew Stevens, Harish Ragavan, Marcus Gilmore & Joel Ross). May 2020 sees the release of the second episode, In Common 2. We spoke to Walter about the album, what he’s up to on Instagram and the musical forms that make the In Common projects so appealing. Interview by Hugh Morris (hugh@whirlwindrecordings.com)
WWR: Hi Walter, thanks for chatting to #WhirlwindInFocus! How have you been keeping yourself (and your fans) entertained during lockdown? Have you been chilling at home, or seeking out new projects, or a bit of both?
WS: It was an unexpected bonus to be home and spend time with the family. We did a lot of outdoors stuff in our backyard – BASKETBALL!!!, played through every board game in the house, some serious PS4/Switch gaming sessions! I’ve practiced regularly, although that has been interesting since there’s no real moment that I’m working towards, which is a first in a long long time. No concert, recording, or tour to prepare for. Strange! Also, I’m the Chair of Woodwinds at Berklee College of Music, so that’s been a ton of work as well getting everything going with remote learning and finishing out the semester.
On social media, I’ve been more active than normal, even putting up videos from practice sessions. That’s something I’ve never been too interested in doing, but just having extra time changed my willingness to engage in that way. Never had that time before. Basically, I’ve found that I’ve used every hour of the day towards something and I’ve managed to stay as busy as ever, even without the travel and concerts.
WWR: IC2 follows on from the original In Common album, released on WWR in 2018. Apart from the switched-up personnel (Linda Oh on bass, Nate Smith on drums & rising star Micah Thomas on keys), what’s new on In Common 2? How does this new group interact differently?
WS: We intentionally selected people that were in a different musical direction that the first group in order to take our concept and let it go in a different direction based on the musicality of our band and not try to write the difference into our music.
WWR: In Common 2 is already gaining plaudits for its breezy, melodically-driven, tracks. But a large part of the success of the In Common projects comes down to simple, focused forms. Could you explain how your idea of ‘One Page Songs’ came about?
WS: Since we were planning to show up to the studio and record without rehearsing and without a lot of discussion, it was important to have music that didn’t glue anyone to the page. There is complexity in simplicity, and I think that “one page songs”sometimes get looked down upon, but I can tell you that when I play a concert, usually the one page songs are the most fun to play. They get to the point and require you to be creative in a different way. Interpret the song, not get through it. This isn’t always the case, but often times, it can happen, so the point of this project was to go that route. We’ll save the two + page songs for our own projects.
WWR: What does your COVID sound like? Give me 3 artists that you can’t switch off!
WS: Since I’m at home with everybody – it’s kids choice, and it’s all their songs:
Billie Eilish
Arianna Grande
Meghan Trainor
WWR: When’s the next Bob Reynolds x Walter Smith III games night, and can I come? Any chance Kenny G will show up? Also what’s next for the child prodigy @childishbambino251?
WS: Ha! That depends on how long the quarantine goes on, but I imagine that if the fall is at home, there may be a game of monopoly or clue in the cards. If Kenny G showed up to play Gettin’ Saxy, that would be perhaps the crowning achievement in my career. @childishbambino251 is working on a video with me for the jazz gallery at the moment. We’ve played some duo lately and we’re gong to explore that a bit further in the coming weeks. I’ll be sure to put a few excerpts up on his page after it’s finished. He’s also started a 1 minute interview series and will start to put them out in the next few days. Be on the lookout for that.
WWR: Judging from Instagram, you like an IG practice upload; who in the community do you always check out, and are there any players whose IG lockdown vids you’re intimidated by? (I certainly know the people I fear!)
WS: I didn’t like practicing videos at all until this quarantine started, actually it was rare for my page to have any actual footage of me playing. I always feel like that playing is for concerts, recordings, etc. and the social thing is just a way to connect with people in a different way from that. I like to believe that all the practicing is done behind closed doors and you show up to a concert and do what you do. Since social media is a necessary evil, I at least want it to be fun for me. I rarely watch videos of people playing online, but I do buy their records!
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Walter’s album In Common 2 (feat. Matthew Stevens, Micah Scott, Linda Oh and Nate Smith) is available now on 12″ LP (White Vinyl) 180g Limited Edition / CD / DL: here
Have a listen to Walter’s previous albums on Whirlwind, TWIO and In Common. Follow his Instagram @wsmiththree for updates during lockdown and general fooling around. You can also listen to Walter on Spotify and Apple Music.
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