Faculty Profile
NEAL SMITH

Drums Faculty
Jazz & Contemporary Music

“I feel that music chose me. I was raised in a church that had a very good music ministry, and one day around the age of three I just sat down and started to play the drums along with the choir and band.”

The first African-American to earn a degree in Jazz Studies from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Neal Smith went on to lead his own band, to share the stage with jazz luminaries here and abroad, and, seeing a need, to found a label focused exclusively on jazz recordings. Playing it forward, he says,
“I feel it’s my responsibility not only to pick up where my fathers left off, but also to continually modernize the jazz sound through composition and performance. Ultimately, I feel I have a responsibility to positively influence other musicians in this truly African-American art form.”

More information about Neal Smith can be found at nsjazz.com.