Louis Smith (musician)

Edward Louis Smith (born May 20, 1931, Memphis, Tennessee, United States)^[1] is an American jazz trumpeter.

While studying at the University of Michigan, he played with visiting musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Thad Jones and Billy Mitchell,^[1] before going on to play with Sonny Stitt, Count Basie and Al McKibbon, Cannonball Adderley, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, Lou Donaldson, Donald Byrd, Kenny Dorham and Zoot Sims.^[1]

He began his career with two albums for Blue Note Records. The first, Here Comes Louis Smith, originally recorded for the Boston based Transition Records, featured Cannonball Adderley (then under contract to Mercury) playing under the pseudonym "Buckshot La Funke",^[2] Tommy Flanagan, Duke Jordan, Art Taylor and Doug Watkins. Smith's initial music career was brief; he became a teacher at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor's public school system, but later recorded for the SteepleChase label.^[3]

Smith suffered a stroke in 2006, and is seen occasionally enjoying live jazz in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area, but has not returned to performing.^[4]

His cousin Booker Little was also a trumpeter.

Discography

As Leader

• 1958: Here Comes Louis Smith (Blue Note)
• 1958: Smithville (Blue Note)
• 1978: Just Friends (SteepleChase, 1978)
• 1979: Prancin' (SteepleChase)
• 1990: Ballads for Lulu (SteepleChase)
• 1994: Silvering (SteepleChase)
• 1994: Strike up the Band (SteepleChase)
• 1995: The Very Thought of You (SteepleChase)
• 1996: I Waited for You (SteepleChase)
• 1997: There Goes My Heart (SteepleChase)
• 2000: Once in a While (SteepleChase)
• 2000: Soon (SteepleChase)
• 2001: The Bopsmith (SteepleChase)
• 2004: Louisville (SteepleChase)

As sideman

With Kenny Burrell

• Blue Lights Volume 1 (Blue Note, 1958)
• Blue Lights Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1958)

With Horace Silver

• Live at Newport '58 (Blue Note, 1958 [2003])

References