Damon Smith

Smith spent his childhood in eastern Washington but moved to Oakland in the mid-1980s.{{cite web|last=Gilbert|first=Andrew|title=Free-Range Bassist |url=https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/free-range-bassist/Content?oid=3887015 |work=East Bay Express |date=April 8, 2014 |accessdate=October 27, 2019}} He took up bass in his late teens, inspired by the Minutemen's Mike Watt.

{{cite web|last=Cohan|first=Brad|title=Double Bassist Damon Smith is a Driving Force in Out-Jazz|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/08/22/damon-smith-feature/|work=Bandcamp|date=August 22, 2017|accessdate=October 27, 2019}} His love of Minutemen got him to explore other bands on the SST Records label which led to his discovery of Henry Kaiser, Elliott Sharp and Saccharine Trust. Smith credited Saccharine Trust's improvised live album Worldbroken with altering his views on punk rock, jazz, and free-form jamming.{{cite web|last=Farrar|first=Justin|title=Pagan Icons' Second Round|url=https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/pagan-icons-second-round/Content?oid=1080924|work=East Bay Express|date=April 26, 2006|accessdate=October 12, 2019}} Eventually Damon was fortunate enough to meet Kaiser and the two have collaborated for over twenty years including more than ten recordings together.{{cite web|last=Dansby|first=Andrew|title=Bassist Damon Smith's joint efforts produce performance gems|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/Bassist-Damon-Smith-s-joint-efforts-produce-4981334.php|work=Houston Chronicle|date=November 13, 2013 |accessdate=October 27, 2019}}

Initially an electric bass player due to his love of Minutemen and Watt's followup band fIREHOSE, Smith switched to double bass and began focusing on improvisation inspired by Peter Kowald and his album Duos:Europa{{cite web|last=Couture|first=François|title= Damon Smith Biography by François Couture|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/damon-smith-mn0000666416|website=AllMusic|accessdate=October 27, 2019}}

Smith studied with Bill Douglas, Lisle Ellis, Kristin Zerneg, Bertram Turetsky etc.

In 2001, Smith launched his own record label called Balance Point Acoustics.

More recently, Smith has played with Weasel Walter in his Weasel Walter Quartet and in Plane Crash which also includes Henry Kaiser.{{cite web|last=Longley|first=Martin|title=Bassist Damon Smith Helps Steer Astral Plane Crash's Improv|url=http://downbeat.com/news/detail/damon-smith-plane-crash|work=DownBeat|date=September 7, 2018|accessdate=October 27, 2019}} The latter expanded to become Astral Plane Crash with the inclusion of Vinny Golia and Bob Moses. In 2023 he toured the northeastern US playing in a trio with guitarist Joe Baiza and drummer Matt Crane.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-25 |title=Post-Punk Legend The Joe Baiza Trio On Tour |url=https://calendar.artsboston.org/event/post-punk-legend-the-joe-baiza-trio-on-tour/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Arts Boston}}

Smith has also collaborated with Werner Herzog on soundtracks to his documentary films Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World.{{cite web|title=Damon Smith ( US )|url=https://noideafestival.com/people/damon-smith|website=No Idea Festival|accessdate=October 27, 2019}}

• Color Architecture (Limited Sedition, 1999)
• A Tribute to John Stevens and the SME with Sextessense (Balance Point Acoustics, 2006)
• Winter Solos (Balance Point Acoustics, 2019)
• Contradictory Consequences 1999 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)
• Variations for Double Bass 1961 Benjamin Patterson (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)
• Whatever Is Not Stone Is Light (Balance Point Acoustics, 2020)

With Emergency String Quartet

• Hill Music (Spring Garden Music, 2001)
• Motions Last (Visible Dog, 2002)
• On the Corner (Public Eyesore, 2002)

With Alvin Fielder

• From-to-From (Balance Point Acoustics, 2013){{cite web|last=Hareuveni|first=Eyal|title=Alvin Fielder / David Dove / Jason Jackson / Damon Smith: From-To-From |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/from-to-from-alvin-fielder-balance-point-acoustics-review-by-eyal-hareuveni.php|work=All About Jazz|date=January 13, 2014 |accessdate=November 15, 2019}}
• Song for Chico (Balance Point Acoustics, 2016){{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Derek|title=Alvin Fielder & Damon Smith – Song for Chico |url=https://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/152562770889/alvin-fielder-damon-smith-song-for-chico |work=Dusted Magazine|date=October 31, 2016|accessdate=November 15, 2019}}
• The Shape Finds Its Own Space (FMR, 2016){{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Derek|title=Alvin Fielder/Frode Gjerstad/Damon Smith – The Shape Finds Its Own Space |url=https://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/158395298095/alvin-fielderfrode-gjerstaddamon-smith-the|work=Dusted Magazine|date=March 14, 2017|accessdate=November 15, 2019}}

With Vinny Golia

• Healing Force (Cuneiform, 2007)
• Grosses Messer (ugEXPLODE, 2009)
• Astral Plane Crash (Balance Point Acoustics, 2018)

With William Hooker

• Earth's Orbit (NoBusiness, 2010)
• Triangles of Force (Balance Point Acoustics 2014)
• Remembering (Astral Spirits, 2018)

With Henry Kaiser

• Domo Arigato Derek-Sensei! (Balance Point Acoustics, 2006)
• Plane Crash (ugEXPLODE, 2009)
• Encounters at the End of the World (Fractal Music, 2013)
• Plane Crash Two (New Atlantis, 2015){{cite web|title=Damon Smith: Discography|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/damon-smith-mn0000666416/discography |work=AllMusic |accessdate=November 15, 2019}}
• Relations (Balance Point Acoustics, 2015)
• The Celestial Squid (Cuneiform, 2015)
• Indestrucible Fantasy (Fractal Music, 2016)
• Nearly Extinct (Balance Point Acoustics, 2016){{Cite web|title=Nearly Extinct bpaltd707, by Henry Kaiser / Steve Parker / Damon Smith / Chris Cogburn|url=https://balancepointacoustics.bandcamp.com/album/nearly-extinct-bpaltd707|website=Balance Point Acoustics|access-date=2020-05-12}}
• More Requia (Metalanguage, 2019)

With Weasel Walter

• Revolt Music (ugEXPLODE, 2006)
• Firestorm (ugEXPLODE, 2007)
• Large Group Performances 2007–2009 (ugEXPLODE, 2009)
• Invasion (ugEXPLODE, 2010)

With others

• Jaap Blonk, Hugo Ball: Sechs Laut-Und Klanggedichte, 1916 (Balance Point Acoustics, 2014)
• Jaap Blonk, North of Blanco (Balance Point Acoustics, 2014)
• John Butcher, The Catastrophe of Minimalism (Balance Point Acoustics, 2017){{cite web|last=Acquaro|first=Paul|title=The Continuing Adventures of Damon Smith |url=http://www.freejazzblog.org/2017/09/the-continuing-adventures-of-damon-smith.html|work=The Free Jazz Collective|date=September 22, 2017|accessdate=November 15, 2019}}
• Carlo Actis Dato, USA Tour & April 2001 & Live (Splasc(h) 2001)
• Marco Eneidi, Ghetto Calypso (Not Two, 2006)
• Marco Eneidi, Marco Eneidi & the American Jungle Orchestra (Botticelli, 1996)
• Peter Evans, Oculus Ex Abyssus (ugEXPLODE, 2008)
• Peter Evans, Untitled (ugEXPLODE, 2008)
• Burton Greene, Life's Intense Mystery (Astral Spirits, 2019)
• Pandelis Karayorgis, Cliff (Driff, 2018)
• Pandelis Karayorgis, CliffPools (Driff, 2020)
• Peter Kowald, Mirrors Broken But No Dust (Balance Point Acoustics, 2001)
• Joe McPhee, Six Situations (Not Two, 2017)
• Kenny Millions, Fuck Music... Tell Jokes You'll Make More Money (Unhinged, 2018)
• Gino Robair, I, Norton: An Opera in Real Time (Rastascan, 2009)
• Richard Thompson, Music from Grizzly Man (Proper, 2018)
• Dave Tucker, Tenderloin (Pax, 2004)
• Bertram Turetzky, Thoughtbeetle (Balance Point Acoustics)
• Fred Van Hove, Burns Longer (Balance Point Acoustics, 2013)

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.balancepointacoustics.com/ Balance Point Acoustics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027150808/https://www.balancepointacoustics.com/ |date=2019-10-27 }}

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Category:1972 births

Category:Living people

Category:American jazz double-bassists

Category:American male jazz musicians

Category:American male double-bassists