Drummer / Producer Nate Smith Nods to Muddy Waters, J Dilla, & ‘Sinners’ on “Juke Joint”
Today, Nate Smith — the masterful drummer, producer, composer, educator, and bandleader who’s carved out a singular presence as a respected traveller of both the bleeding edge underground jazz scene and the highest echelons of popular music — shares “Juke Joint” featuring Jermaine Holmes, Charlie Hunter, and DJ Harrison. It’s the second single from his album LIVE-ACTION, due August 29. Along with the new music, Nate Smith will be touring across the US and EU/UK this fall, all dates below. Listen to “Juke Joint” here and presave/preorder LIVE-ACTION here.
Inspired by the feel of the juke joint in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Nate Smith took a Muddy Waters meets J Dilla approach to “Juke Joint.” Of the track’s collaborators, Smith says: “I wanted to evoke the feeling of a speakeasy — Charlie Hunter is a bonafide blues musician through and through. DJ Harrison is one of the greatest musicians I know — an encyclopedia of knowledge and a wellspring of ideas. When I played the track for CARRTOONS, he suggested the great singer Jermaine Holmes and I immediately knew he’d be perfect to conjure the vibe.”
Of the forthcoming album LIVE-ACTION, Smith explains: “It was a way to activate all of these relationships that I’ve been building over the last five or six years since the pandemic, many of them through social media… I wanted to make a record that sounded like it was recorded on a cassette in my bedroom. I limited my options. I used analog gear. I used the same instruments throughout the album. I did two or three takes of each element, no copy and pastes or anything like that. All of the instruments on the album are played live, nothing is programmed or sequenced.”
Nate Smith is an in-demand collaborator, touring and recording with stars like Brittany Howard, Childish Gambino, Jon Batiste, Norah Jones, and Michael Jackson. He counts among his peers generational talents, from legends like Pat Metheny and Ravi Coltrane to young guns like Fearless Flyers, Josh Johnson, and James Francies. The forthcoming album alone features performances from horn players Josh Johnson and Marquis Hill; the rapper JSWISS; guitarists Charlie Hunter and Lionel Loueke; bassists Michael League, Ben Williams, and CARRTOONS; keyboardists DJ Harrison and Keifer; the group säje and vocalist Jermaine Holmes; and Lalah Hathaway, who sings an unsurprisingly daring cover of “Automatic,” the 1984 hit for The Pointer Sisters.
He’s a global touring powerhouse (see his packed itinerary of live dates below) and an accomplished recording artist, recognized with two GRAMMY nominations for his 2017 LP KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere. His unique combination of unreal chops and intuitive communication has translated on social media, where his videos teach complex rhythmic principles and resonate both as showcase and seminar.
TOUR DATES
North America
9/20 – Lexington, KY – Equinox Jazz Festival
9/23 – San Diego, CA – Epstein Family Amphitheater
9/25 – Albuquerque, NM – The Outpost
9/26 – Boulder, CO – Chautauqua Auditorium
9/27 – Denver, CO – Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
9/29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Lodge Room
10/2 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
10/3 – Portland, OR – The Get Down
10/4 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s
10/5 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s
10/8 – Boston, MA – City Winery BOS
10/10 – Washington, D.C. – The Hamilton Live
10/11 – Philadelphia, PA – Perelman Theater
10/12 – New York, NY – Sony Hall
10/14 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
10/16 – Chicago, IL – The Promontory
10/17 – Evanston, IL – Evanston SPACE
10/18 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East
11/29 – Portsmouth, NH – Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club
11/30 – Portsmouth, NH – Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club
12/11 – Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
12/12 – Iowa City, IA – Club Hancher
12/13 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line
Europe
11/6 – Madrid, ES – Sala Villanos
11/8 – Prague (CZ) – Lucerna Music
11/9 – Brno (CZ) – Sono Center
11/11 – Amsterdam (NL) – Paradiso – Tolhuis
11/12 – Berlin (DE) – Gretchen
11/14 – Paris (F) – New Morning
11/16 – London (UK) – KOKO