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WALTER SMITH III MAKES HIS BLUE NOTE DEBUT WITH return to casual

SAXOPHONIST’S REMARKABLE NEW ALBUM IS OUT TODAY FEATURING TAYLOR EIGSTI, MATT STEVENS, HARISH RAGHAVAN & KENDRICK SCOTT PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE & JAMES FRANCIES
 
 
 
7 APRIL 2023 (TORONTO, ON) – Saxophonist and composer Walter Smith III has released his Blue Note Records debut return to casual, a striking new album that features his longtime collaborators pianist Taylor Eigsti, guitarist Matt Stevens, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Kendrick Scott plus guest appearances by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist James Francies. return to casual is available now on Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms. Watch Smith discuss the new album with Blue Note President Don Was on the latest episode of “First Look.”
 

 

Poignant — and at times, playful — return to casual casts a shifting mood. Nine original works (and one new arrangement on Kate Bush’s “Mother Stands for Comfort”) all composed within weeks of each other layer, displace, dismantle, and reassemble among the Houston native’s fellow artists. The music establishes points of departure, leaving all the artists plenty of interpretive space.

 

Dedicated to collaborative work with some of the music’s most influential voices — including Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard, Gerald Clayton, Eric Harland, Jason Moran, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Herbie Hancock, Maria Schneider, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Dee Dee Bridgewater — Smith has crafted a distinct style, personal vocabulary, and compositional approach that serves the individuality of his fellow artists. For the past several years, he has been co-leading the acclaimed In Common project with Stevens, exploring and refining different conceptual approaches to writing.

 

Through return to casual, Smith renews his identity as a band leader, bringing with him an expansive, resonant artistry and a cooperative vision for his original works.
 

PHOTO BY GEORGE CLARKE

 

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