David Smith is a jazz trombonist originally from Boynton Beach, Florida. He began playing the drums at his church at an early age. By the age of 12, he discovered the trombone while involved in his middle school band. During his high school years, he began to develop a love for jazz music. Upon graduating from high school, he decided to further his passion for jazz music by attending Florida State University to study jazz performance on the trombone. He has performed with leading jazz musicians including legendary trombonist from the world-renowned Duke Ellington Orchestra, George "Buster" Cooper (1929 - 2016), Vincent Gardner, Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Roberts, Jason Marsalis, Roland Guerlin, Rufus Reid, Leon Anderson, Rodney Jordan, John Gunther, and Dave Corbus.
Smith is dedicated to enriching the lives of the younger generation by his commitment to education. As a professional jazz performer with 16 years of experience in the jazz idiom, he holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in jazz performance from Florida State University and the University of South Florida, and a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Jazz Studies Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado. In 2016, he won the "Downbeat" Award for best jazz small group. Currently, Smith resides in the Ocala area and serves as the Director of Jazz and Concert Ensembles and Associate Professor of Music at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL. He teaches courses in American Popular Music, Applied Brass Techniques, and directs the Santa Fe Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, and Concert Band.
In addition to his teaching duties, Smith maintains a busy schedule performing as a jazz soloist and guest artist in the Ocala and Gainesville communities. He leads small jazz groups consisting of trios and quartets under his name performing at local venues, community centers, and concert halls in the North and Central Florida areas. Smith also serves as a jazz clinician performing master classes and jazz workshops for middle, high, and college-level students on jazz improvisation, instrumental and ensemble techniques.
With a deep commitment for jazz music, Smith's mission is to preserve America's original art form, "Jazz" by creating opportunities to perform jazz music in various public settings including restaurants, libraries, schools, community centers, special events, music festivals, concert halls and retirement communities for music enthusiasts and audiences of all ages.
For booking inquiries, please see the contact page or visit my EPK page.