Damon Smith
Double bassist Damon Smith surfaced on the Bay Area free improvisation scene in the mid-'90s. His style is akin to Peter Kowald and Joëlle Léandre: intense, lush, acutely free-form, and yet inhabited by a form of lyricism. He first performed alongside saxophonist Marco Eneidi. Since then, he has played with many musicians from San Francisco and abroad. In 2001, he launched his own record label, Balance Point Acoustics.
Born Damon Jesse Smith on October 17, 1972, he came to music rather late and from the punk rock perspective. Influenced by fIREHOSE and Minutemen's Mike Watt, he learned to play the electric bass in 1991 and was involved in semi-pro avant-rock outfits until 1994. A copy of Peter Kowald's album Duos:Europa left behind by an ex-roommate changed everything. The sound of the German bassist opened new possibilities to the young Smith, who previously believed Charles Mingus had already done it all. He sold his electric bass, put a stop to a ten-year career in freestyle BMX racing, and from that point on concentrated solely on double bass and creative music.
In only a few years, Smith managed to build himself a strong musical vocabulary, borrowing from and expanding upon classical and jazz techniques. He studied with Bill Douglas, Lisle Ellis, Kristin Zerneg, Michael Jones, and Bertram Turetsky. Marco Eneidi picked him up for his American Jungle Orchestra and, from there, the bassist networked with Bay Area improvisers. A trio with Gianni Gebbia and Garth Powell gathered some attention. He has also performed with Eugene Chadbourne, Glenn Spearman, Elliott Sharp, Luc Houtkamp, and many more.
In April 2000, Smith had the chance to perform a duo concert with Kowald. His desire to release the recording prompted the inception of the label Balance Point Acoustics. He also recorded with veteran European improvisers Tony Bevan and Wolfgang Fuchs. His association with Kowald carried on as the two performed at the New York Vision Festival in 2001. Other projects include a duo with clarinetist Oluyemi Thomas, a Spontaneous Music Ensemble tribute with John Butcher and Henry Kaiser called the Emergency String Quartet, and his own trio with Jerome Bryerton and Jeff Chan.
© François Couture /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Astral Plane Crash
Henry Kaiser, Damon Smith, Weasel Walter
Klassiek - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 25 jul. 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Catastrophe of Minimalism
John Butcher, Damon Smith, Weasel Walter
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 17 aug. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Volumes & Surfaces (Full Length)
Jason Stein, Damon Smith, Adam Shead
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 18 jan. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duals (Triple Album)
Jeb Bishop, Damon Smith, Pandelis Karayorgis
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 1 nov. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bass Duos 2000-2007
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 14 jan. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Winter Solos for Robert Ryman
Free jazz & Avant-garde jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 27 apr. 2019
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Universal or Directional (Album)
Jeb Bishop, Damon Smith, Matt Crane
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 1 jul. 2020
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Houston 2012
Sandy Ewen, Keith Rowe, Damon Smith
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 1 mei 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
North of Blanco
Damon Smith, Jaap Blonk, Chris Cogburn
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 3 apr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cold Arrow
Guillermo Gregorio, Damon Smith, Jerome Bryerton
Free jazz & Avant-garde jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 1 dec. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sperrgut
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 2 jan. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Burns Longer
Fred Van Hove, Damon Smith, Peter Jacquemyn
Klassiek - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 9 sep. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dawn Throws Its First Knife
Lisa Cameron, Alex Cunningham, Damon Smith
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 15 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Purecircle
Ra Kalam Bob Moses, Damon Smith
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 2 feb. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
A Railroad Spike Forms the Voice
Sandy Ewen, Damon Smith, Weasel Walter
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 1 mei 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Fresh Harvest From Old Seeds
Blues - Released by MoMojo Records on 22 jun. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Plane Crash
Henry Kaiser, Damon Smith, Weasel Walter
Elektronische muziek of Musique Concrète - Released by uGEXPLODE on 1 jan. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rune Kitchen
Jaap Blonk, Damon Smith, Ra Kalam Bob Moses
Free jazz & Avant-garde jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 27 mrt. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thoughtbeetle
Rock - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 10 feb. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Quartet: Quartet: Trio, Vol. 1 (Full Length)
Andrew Neumann, Damon Smith, Sandy Ewen
Jazz - Released by Balance Point Acoustics on 9 mrt. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo