Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens at the 2023 Ottawa Jazz Festival
Stevens, Smith, Rogers and Scott often extracted the maximum from compositions that, relatively speaking, have less complexity and details to execute than some of the longer, more dense, content-rich material that they might play in other contexts. Check out Smith’s excellent latest album, Return to Casual, and its deluxe, heroic opener, Contra, for some more involved and even maximalist music. Stevens’ steely guitar is also part of its mix.
Drummer Kendrick Scott of Walter Smith III and Matthew Stevens: In Common at the 2023 Ottawa Jazz FestivalDespite its generic title, Smith’s sprinting tune Blues led to fast, involved improvising. ACE, a waltzing encore by Smith that included some classical cadences and a catchy beat, wrapped the concert up in a bow.
Outside of In Common, Stevens and Smith are busy. This summer will see Stevens on tour with Esperanza Spalding and Christian Scott, among others. Smith spent much of last month in Europe with drummer Bill Stewart’s trio, and he will be in Italy in a month’s time. But the saxophonist and guitarist have too much in common to be separated for too long. For their ongoing exploits, jazz fans should be thankful.— our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, watching, playing, hanging, learning and living well in the capital.
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