Logan Kane was already was in David’s band, and it was a natural step to bring him on board. He uses guitar synth, so it made sense to me. I could have chosen a guitarist and a keyboardist, but I liked their sound so much that I asked Alex if he would want to play the role of ‘keyboardist’. They both have a very individual approach, and they don’t sound at all like each other. But I could feel that these two guys were right for my project. Not my music, just the sort of things you normally do on sessions – standards, etc. We started doing sessions, and it was real fun. There I met Vanja Kevresan, A Serbian guitarist, and Alex Maksymiw, a Canadian guitarist. If you’re a strong enough personality to stand up to that, you can end up making some great music. He gets you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to take risks. Much of that success I attribute to his input, not only as a player but as conceptualiser. It was with a band called Life On Mars, and we won 1st Prize at the Festival de Jazz à Vienne for ‘Best new group’, and another award for ‘Best compostion’ at the Montreal Jazzfest. He played on my very first jazz project in Canada in the mid-90s.
I knew right from the start that I wanted David Binney in my project.
A reason for Jazzradar to question Greg Smith about Cluster 001. The album is a pleasant surprise in the jazz landscape. The experiences of making music for contemporary dance and theater and expressive improvisation all converge on this album. The album is a must for the curious listener who will appreciate the beats, pop-like melodies, electronics and daring improvisations. In the last corona year, he also made a trans-atlantic debut album called Cluster 001 that will be released worldwide on April 23, 2021.
Now Smith is moving between the European cities of Rotterdam and Berlin. He recorded four albums with guest roles for Chris Speed and Joachim Badenhorst. In Europe, Smith is also known for his role in the LAMA trio with trumpet player Susana Santos Silva and bass player Gonçalo Almeida. He played extensively and made connections with some of his favorite musicians, including David Binney, Chris Speed and Reggie Washington.
Montreal-born and raised drummer / composer Greg Smith lived in NYC in the 1990s, where he embraced the new alternative underground jazz scene.
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