Baldwin "Smitty" Smith has been a connoisseur of jazz for 20 years. Growing up in a family of 10 siblings, there was a diverse taste of music in his life. " I just love music PERIOD" says Smitty.
All that changed when he was a teenager and a friend loaned him a Bob James album (BJ Three). After listening to "Westchester Lady" and "One Mint Julep", says Smitty, "I was just blown away". That one encounter put Smitty on the path of being consumed with Jazz.
In 1999, Smitty met Albert Pride in an online chat forum. The two realized that they shared some common views and tastes in music. After much dialog they, along with a passionate group of jazz fans, formed The Jazz Nation. The purpose of The Jazz Nation was to support jazz musicians, and spread the word about their music on the web and their magazine, Jazz Exodus. |