Will Smith is a traditional jazz trumpeter and vocalist born in New Orleans. His relationship with music started at the age of seven at the Preservation Hall, where he would go daily with his sister to listen to trumpeter John Simmons, the same place where he has been leading his own band, Will Smith Preservation Legacy Band, for years.
He is a regular in formations such as Harold Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band, Treme Brass Band, Doc Paulin, The New Birth Brass Band, Palmetto Bug Stompers, The Storyville Stompers, Pinstripe Brass Band. He has toured the world with them and participated in several recordings. Will Smith has earned his own name within New Orleans jazz.
He grew up surrounded by the musicians who shaped the musical identity of the city, learning from them and continuing to be his main source of inspiration. His style evokes great figures of the genre such as Louis Armstrong, Sing Miller, Sweet Emma Barret, and Alvin Alcorn.
He began playing in The Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band led by renowned guitarist Danny Barker, from which musicians such as Leroy Jones, Dr. Michael White, and Shannon Powell emerged, and later formed the group The Chosen Few with the legendary Tuba Fats.
Will Smith will visit Spain in the summer of 2025 with a series of concerts where he will present his album “Songs from my heart,” spreading the cultural legacy of the city where jazz was born. In this tour, he will be accompanied by banjoist and vocalist Carlos Childe, with whom he has worked for years in New Orleans and who also collaborates on this album. The band, set in a sextet formation, is completed with double bass, piano, clarinet, and drums.
