Marvin "Smitty" Smith (born June 24, 1961) is an American jazz drummer and composer.

Marvin Smith was born in Waukegan, Illinois, where his father, Marvin Sr., was a drummer. "Smitty" was exposed to music at a young age, receiving formal musical training at the age of three.[1]

After graduating from Waukegan East High School, Smith attended Berklee,[2] graduating in 1981. Smith has recorded 200 albums with various artists, as well as two solo albums.[3] He has toured with, among others, Sting, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins, Willie Nelson and Steve Coleman.[3] He is a former member of The New York Jazz Quartet,[1] and was the drummer for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno band, led by Kevin Eubanks, from January 30, 1995[3] until the show's end on May 29, 2009. Smith was also the drummer for the Jay Leno Show band in 2009-10.[citation needed]

Discography

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As leader

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  • Keeper of the Drums (Concord Jazz, 1987)
  • The Road Less Traveled (Concord Jazz, 1989)

As sideman

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With Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison

  • New York Second Line (The George Wein Collection)

With Hamiet Bluiett

  • Ebu (Soul Note, 1984)

With Joanne Brackeen

With Igor Butman

  • Falling Out (Impromptu, 1993)

With Donald Byrd

With Don Byron

With Michel Camilo

With Steve Coleman and M-Base

With Larry Coryell

With Art Davis

With Ray Drummond

With Robin Eubanks

With Art Farmer

With Frank Foster and Frank Wess

With Benny Golson

With Gunter Hampel New York Orchestra

With John Hicks

With Dave Holland

With Andy Jaffe

With the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet

With Carmen Lundy

  • Jazz & the New Songbook: Live at the Madrid (CD and DVD, Afrasia, 2005)

With Buddy Montgomery

With Ralph Moore

With David Murray

With David "Fathead" Newman

With Joe Newman and Joe Wilder

With Emily Remler

With Sonny Rollins

  • Sonny Rollins Plays G-Man and Other Music for the Soundtrack of the Robert Mugge Film "Saxophone Colossus" (Milestone, 1987)

With Michel Sardaby

  • Going Places (Sound Hills, 1989)

With Archie Shepp

With Superblue

With Harvie Swartz, Mick Goodrick, and John Abercrombie

  • Arrival (Novus, 1992)

With McCoy Tyner

With Gebhard Ullmann, Andreas Willers, and Bob Stewart

  • Suite Noire (Nabel, 1990)

With Bobby Watson

With Tommy Ward

  • From This Moment On (2021)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Drummerworld: Marvin Smith". Retrieved 3 September 2006.
  2. ^ "Berklee Alumni Website". Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2006.
  3. ^ a b c "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno – Biographies". Archived from the original on 6 September 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2006.