The instant that alto saxophonist Walter Smith III (Houston, 1980) was greeted with a huge round of applause in his teens after a mediocre solo in a McDonald's eatery, he knew he wanted to become a musician. Fortunately, his musical skills would later rise far beyond the mediocre. In addition to being a soloist, he also became a composer, and is now head of the department of reed instruments at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Smith was a member of important formations such as the Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band, the Terence Blanchard Quintet, the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, the Sean Jones Quintet, and featured in formations of bassist Christian McBride. He has performed on the major jazz stages, including Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, and the Kennedy Center. His track record as a studio musician is similarly impressive, recording ten albums under his own name, and working on many more albums as a sideman. His latest album Return To Casual (2023) was released on Blue Note Records.
