Nate Smith

In recent years, Nate Smith has become one of the most closely watched and influential drummers of his generation. This is not only because, alongside his other work, he has focused on creating a series of viral videos that have garnered millions of views. He is simply remarkable in every respect.

The now 50-year-old Virginia native started playing drums at the age of eleven, initially drawn to rock and funk. A turning point came at sixteen, when he heard Album of the Year, the famous 1981 recording by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He began to take jazz drumming seriously, though he also studied design and other artistic disciplines. His first major opportunity came when he performed with Betty Carter at the legendary Blue Note club in New York. This launched a remarkable era of collaborations with top-tier artists, through which he built a portfolio many would envy.

In 2003, the renowned bassist Dave Holland invited Nate Smith to join his quintet, and as a member he recorded two albums: Critical Mass (2005) and Pathways (2009). Around the same time, he began working closely with saxophonist Chris Potter, recording four albums with him between 2006 and 2015. His discography also includes individual recordings with stars such as Patricia Barber, Randy Brecker, Takuya Kuroda, and even Czech musician Karel Růžička Jr., with whom he recorded the album Grace & Gratitude for Animal Music.

Nate Smith never confined himself strictly to jazz boundaries, and the more experienced he became, the more he expanded his scope. That’s why his name can be found on albums by Paul Simon, Brittany Howard (lead singer of Alabama Shakes), and genre-less José James. Interestingly, one of his major non-jazz credits predates his professional drumming career: in 2001, he co-wrote and co-produced Michael Jackson’s song Heaven Can Wait, released on the Invincible album—one of the singer’s slowest tracks ever.

Nate Smith’s solo career also unfolds in this genre-blending, style-crossing spirit. His debut, KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere, earned two Grammy nominations. Speaking about his vision for the album, Smith said: “My goal was to start with the simplest elements—singable melodies with familiar harmonies—and use them to weave stories that felt nostalgic without being overly sentimental.” He received the same number of nominations for his follow-up project, Kinfolk 2: See The Birds. In addition to these well-known albums, he has released three more titles, all marked by a distinctive compositional and instrumental contribution.

At his JazzFestBrno concert, Nate Smith will perform in a trio with James Francies, a keyboardist signed to the prestigious Blue Note label, for which he has recorded two solo albums, and bassist Michael League, the driving force behind the highly successful and popular group Snarky Puppy.