On any given evening in some metropolitan watering hole, someone with an open collar and a robust waist belts out another Kareoke classic. On one of these nondescript nights, across the East River under the star-less Brooklyn sky, Jonah Smith met one of his favorite songwriters: Malcolm Holcombe. Jonah was introduced as a great singer. Malcolm looked at his new acquaintance and said, "I once met Harlan Howard in Nashville--he wrote most of Patsy Cline's material--and he told me, ‘Son, the world doesn't need another singer, the world needs songs’." He then wandered back into the bar in search of his half-polished, lukewarm Pabst.
The voice gets talked about first when people are speaking about Jonah Smith. People often say the white boy sounds like "an old black man". But when Jonah introduces himself, he tells people he's a songwriter. Only after a little prodding, will he add that he also plays the Rhodes electric piano and sings some, too. People that got hip to his band's 2001 Independent release, Industry Rule, also recognized he has a special gift for telling a story. In Skyscraper Blues he sings, "I've been giving my landlord the run-around / but you can only string them along so far / well, there's cigarette butts up and down the stairwell / and he wants to know what's been going on / maybe I should just tell him / the party starts at two a.m. / and runs on straight through dawn". His lyrics have been hailed by critics as "catchy, without being cliché", but what makes him a double-threat is his ability to include jazz harmony in his writing. He formed his band with jazzmen and original thinkers and together they created their unique take on the soul-jazz sound.
In the summer of 2003 there was a heat wave sweltering across most of Europe. The band found themselves driving south from Paris in a rented van with no air-conditioning, in the dead of night to try to escape the heat. They had just come from a victorious show at La Guinguette Pirate and were heading to Vitoria, Spain another city where they had never played before. With close to one million downloads from the Internet, and word of mouth from their previous tours in Europe it seemed the band's reputation was preceding them. Fans that barely spoke their language were singing the lyrics to the cuts from Industry Rule and nodding their heads in approval at the new material. In fact, Jonah Smith was in Europe promoting his newly finished record, Beneath the Underdog. Their sophomore effort was a culmination from constantly performing along the East Coast of the United States and their relationship with Grammy-winning producer, Jason Olaine--who has been a near constant presence at their New York shows since their sold out CD Release Party at the Mercury Lounge in 2001. The band did several radio spots and a performance on National television in Spain before heading back to the states to prepare for their New York debut of Beneath the Underdog.
With three shows planned in New York in the fall of 2003 at the Mercury Lounge, the Blue Note and the Bowery Ballroom the band went to work rehearsing more new material. They invited special guests to appear at these shows like the legendary New York guitarist, Ronny Drayton (who's played with everyone from Billy Joel to Me'Shell N'degeocello). In the past, guest appearances have included Eric Krasno of Soulive, Donald Harrison and Maya Azucena. The show at the Mercury Lounge was again a great success. Doors are opening for this band wherever they go. Their live show has an undeniable appeal that seems to attract everyone from college kids to young professionals. They are independently winning the respect of their peers and the press winning the fans over one show at a time.
