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Music of Bill Smith featured on Jazz Northwest

Bill Smith
Virginia Paquette Smith
Bill Smith

Internationally renowned clarinetist, composer, educator and musical experimentalist Bill Smith died last weekend at the age of 93.  A varied selection of his music will be heard on today’s episode of Jazz Northwest. Smith came to Seattle in 1966 to start The Contemporary Group, an experimental music ensemble which he co-led with trombonist Stuart Dempster for many years. 

Both as a jazz clarinetist Bill Smith and as concert artist William O. Smith, Smith was always experimenting with new sounds from the clarinet and with electronic augmentation. He was recipient of numerous awards for composition including the Prix de Paris and Prix de Rome, and he maintained a Summer residence in Rome where he devoted himself to composing. He also led a jazz trio for an extended period at The Merchant's Cafe in Seattle.  

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by host Jim Wilke and airs Sundays at 2 p.m. Listeners may also subscribe to the podcast at KNKX, NPR, AppleGoogle or Spotify.

Jim has been a fixture on Seattle radio since 1961. He was the host of Jazz After Hours on Public Radio International from 1984-2014. Currently Jim has been producing Jazz Northwest for KNKX since 1988. This weekly program focuses on the regional jazz scene and frequently includes performances Jim records on location for Jazz Northwest.