About Jimmy Smith
Detroit-based trumpeter, composer, and arranger Jimmy Smith is one of the Midwest’s most in-demand musicians. He holds a master’s degree in jazz performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music and studied at both Berklee College of Music and Wayne State University. Alongside his performing career, Jimmy is a dedicated music educator. He has served as an artist-in-residence throughout the NYC public school system, is a certified Michigan music teacher, and currently works as the Director of Bands at Avondale Middle School, where he’s committed to building strong, creative young musicians.
As a recording artist, Jimmy has released three albums as co-leader of the Hughes/Smith Quintet, and most recently a fourth as co-leader of the Yao/Smith/Hughes Sextet on Shifting Paradigm Records. His work has been praised for its energy and craftsmanship—Midwest Record called it “hot stuff throughout that never quits.”
Jimmy is also a founding member of The Woodward Horns and an active freelance performer. Over the years, he has shared the stage with a wide range of regional and national artists, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Verve Pipe, Alexander Zonjic, Mitch Ryder, Melvin Davis, Pat Lewis, Johnnie Bassett, The Paul Keller Orchestra, Ben Sharkey, and Bobby Murray.