With ‘Words Underlined’ out now on Lit Soc Records, saxophonist Patrick Smith talks about the trio format's peculiar difficulty, what he learned from Mark Shim in New York, and why Toronto lets him play everything.
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Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Toronto saxophonist Patrick Smith.
Patrick has become a key player in the city's creative music scene. His new album, 'Words Underlined', came out in December on Lit Soc Records. It's the first release from the new label started by Sellers & Newell, a Toronto bookstore that moonlights as a music venue. Patrick recorded there with guitarist Dan Pitt and drummer Lowell Whitty. The trio plays without a bass, and the album alternates between composed pieces and full improvisations.
A few episodes back, we featured a talk with Noah Franche-Nolan, who also collaborated with Dan Pitt. A link to that, and my November 2024 conversation with Dan, are both in the show notes.
Patrick's here to talk about making music in the trio format, the Toronto scene, and why a bookstore was the right place to record.
(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from the album Words Underlined by The Patrick Smith Words Trio)
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00:00 — Introduction
01:29 — The genesis of the trio: Paul Motian, Dan Pitt, and Lowell Whitty
05:41 — Why the trio is the hardest format in music
06:47 — Dan Pitt's approach to tone, pedals, and the expanded guitar palette
09:30 — Lowell Whitty: Dixieland roots, New Orleans feel, and open improvisation
13:25 — What it means to be a technician of tone rather than a technician of chops
16:42 — Writing for the trio vs. applying an existing songbook
18:16 — Songs that work in any instrumentation: Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Wayne Shorter
22:41 — Sellers & Newell: how a bookstore became a record label
25:47 — Recording live off the floor, DIY production, and the future of independent music
28:48 — Audience vs. no audience: the in-between of recording without headphones
32:52 — Mentorship and lineage: Mark Shim, Dave Young, and jazz generations
39:06 — Dave Liebman and the post-Coltrane saxophone world
41:07 — The quintet project: songs about places, life on the road, and becoming a musician
43:25 — What connects the work: pushing forward without losing the groove
45:32 — The Toronto scene and why refusing to pick a lane is a feature, not a bug
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Visit Patrick Smith at https://www.patricksmithsax.com
and follow him on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/patricksmithsax
and Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/patricksmithmusic123
Purchase The Patrick Smith Words Trio's 'Words Underlined' from Lit Soc Records → https://litsocrecords.com/shop/ols/products/patrick-smith-words-trio-words-underlined
Bandcamp → https://litsocrecords.bandcamp.com/album/words-underlined
or Qobuz → https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/words-underlined-patrick-smith/kicd6yu36ieq5
and listen on your streaming platform of choice → https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/patricksmith/words-underlined
For extensive show notes, links, and podcast information, go to https://podcast.thetonearm.com
Be sure to check out The Tonearm, an online music + culture magazine featuring fascinating perspectives and conversations with creative people → https://www.thetonearm.com
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