The Smith Dobson Group at Jazz Club! Series at Bird & Beckett Books and Records

Smith Dobson, alto saxophone, leads a quartet that includes trumpeter Henry Hung, bassist Miles Wick and drummer Evan Hughes in an exploration of Ornette Coleman’s music.

Coleman had a remarkable influence on the shape of jazz to come for so many generations of musicians that followed.

Says Smith, “Ornette’s music started to liberate me from the confines of straight ahead jazz when I was still a teenager playing drums in a band in Santa Cruz days called Guts (with Robert Overbury, Jay Sanders and Scott Larson). We had a weekly gig at a long-defunct club and even a small but loyal following. ...

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Smith Dobson, alto saxophone, leads a quartet that includes trumpeter Henry Hung, bassist Miles Wick and drummer Evan Hughes in an exploration of Ornette Coleman’s music.

Coleman had a remarkable influence on the shape of jazz to come for so many generations of musicians that followed.

Says Smith, “Ornette’s music started to liberate me from the confines of straight ahead jazz when I was still a teenager playing drums in a band in Santa Cruz days called Guts (with Robert Overbury, Jay Sanders and Scott Larson). We had a weekly gig at a long-defunct club and even a small but loyal following.

“What I love about Ornette is that although he freed up the concept of jazz improvisation, his roots are still deeply rooted in the tradition of bebop. I am a big fan of all eras of Ornette and plan to play some music spanning his whole life.”

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