Walther Smith III Quartet

Name: Walther Smith III Quartet
Start: 2025-10-25T18:30:00+02:00
Location: Haupstr.89, 12159 Berlin, Germany

Schedule

Sat, 25 Oct, 2025 at 06:30 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Haupstr.89, 12159 Berlin, Germany | Berlin, BE

Artist Support Fee: 35€
Walter Smith III - sax (USA)
Danny Grissett - piano (USA)
Orlando LeFleming - bass (UK)
Jeff Ballard - drums (USA)
The Walter Smith III Quartet will be presenting music from Walter’s latest Blue Note release "Three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not" an album inspired by themes and memories from his hometown of Houston, TX. For this special live edition of the band, Walter will be joined by an exceptional line-up: Danny Grissett on piano, Orlando LeFleming on bass, and Jeff Ballard on drums. This new formation brings a fresh and exciting dynamic to the project — or, as Walter playfully puts it: “Three of us are not from Houston, but Walter is.”
Walter Smith III is an inspired young saxophonist and composer with a lot to say. Although it may appear Smith is a new voice on the scene, he is widely recognized as an adept performer, accomplished composer, and inspired educator smith released his 5th album as a leader, “Twio” in February of 2018 with his longtime trio of Harish Raghavan and Eric Harland including guest appearances by Christian McBride and Joshua Redman. In the Jazz tradition, Smith has developed under the wings of many of the music’s greats. Walter is/has been a member of several legendary groups (recording and/or touring) including the Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band, Terence Blanchard Quintet, Eric Harland's “Voyager”, Jason Moran’s In My Mind:Monk at Town Hall, Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, the Christian McBride “Situation”, Christian Scott group and the Sean Jones Quintet to name a few. Originally from Houston, TX, Smith now resides in Boston, MA and is Chair of Woodwinds at Berklee Collage of Music, helping to prepare the next generation of Jazz students. Legendary saxophonist Jimmy Heath had this to say: "Walter Smith is a perfect example of what my mentor Dizzy Gillespie said "You have to have one foot in the past and one foot in the future”.
Danny Grissett has been an indispensable part of the scene in New York for 20 years. Born in Los Angeles in 1975, the pianist studied with Barry Harris, Herbie Hancock and Kenny Barron. While still on the L.A. scene, he established himself as a competent sideman, accompanying such greats as George Coleman, Billy Higgins and Jackie McLean. But since the early 2000s at the latest, Danny has been a fixture in the jazz world, playing clubs and festivals around the world and adding names like Tom Harrell, Jeremy Pelt, Nicholas Payton, Benny Golson, Roy Hargorve, Freddie Hubbard and Marcus Gilmore to his portfolio of collaborations.
"Outstanding” is an overused description but one that’s applied to bassist Orlando le Fleming
so consistently that its justification can’t be denied. While living in New York he brought his
inimitable personality to work on projects for the likes of Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo,
Antonio Sanchez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bill Charlap, Billy Cobham, Kevin Hays, Wayne Krantz,
Jimmy Cobb, Ari Hoenig, Seamus Blake, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Leslie Odom Jr, Mark Turner and
David Sanchez among many others. Today he is considered one of the leading international bassists.
Jeff Ballard - Born on September 17, 1963, in Santa Cruz, CA, USA, Ballard’s past and present recording sessions and touring associates read like a who’s who of jazz. To name a select few: Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Joshua Redman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Brad Mehldau. His present work continues with the Brad Mehldau Trio, as co-leader of collective group FLY (featuring Mark Turner, Ballard, and Larry Grenadier) and with his own groups The Jeff Ballard Trio and Jeff Ballard Fairgrounds.