Biography
Born Carson Raymond Smith on 9 January 1931 in San Francisco, California, the bassist died in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 2 November 1997. While he was still a youngster his family relocated to Los Angeles; once schooling was finished he first sought employment around New York. Despite solid skills on bass, opportunities proved limited, prompting a return to Los Angeles in 1952. There he quickly joined Gerry Mulligan’s celebrated quartet, which also featured Chet Baker. Mulligan drew on both Smith’s instrumental work and several of his original compositions; the bassist’s contributions, Mulligan later noted, influenced the ensemble’s overall character. With no pianist present, Smith’s lines became a defining element of the group’s texture. The quartet disbanded in 1953 shortly after scoring a major success with “My Funny Valentine.” Throughout the rest of the decade Smith performed with small groups led by Russ Freeman and Chico Hamilton and appeared alongside Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Billie Holiday, and Dick Twardzik. Near the decade’s close he spent a brief period in Stan Kenton’s orchestra before moving to Las Vegas. In that city he remained active in jazz circles, working with Charlie Teagarden’s band, Buddy Rich, Georgie Auld (with whom he toured Japan), Lew Tabackin, Zoot Sims, and others, and he took part in a Mulligan reunion concert back in Los Angeles. During the 1980s Dizzy Gillespie observed that no bassist had impressed him so strongly since Oscar Pettiford. Smith’s brother, Putter Smith, has also earned recognition as a prominent West Coast bassist.