Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith (born 27th April 1967) is a Scottish jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator. Smith grew up in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh, and was encouraged to learn the tenor saxophone from the age of twelve onwards. At the age of sixteen, he obtained a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music; there he joined Gary Burton's group. He has become one of Scotland's leading jazz musicians and composers, an internationally recognised soloist and bandleader since the late-1980s and the musical director and driving force behind the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and his own Youth Jazz Orchestra. He has composed for and performed with classical orchestras and ensembles including the Orchestra of St John's Square, the Scottish Ensemble, the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra and the Paragon Ensemble. He has also recorded and performed with classical pianist Murray McLachlan, pop group Hue & Cry, and Scottish traditional musicians including Gaelic singer Karen Matheson and accordionist/keyboards player Donald Shaw from Capercaillie. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.