Artfullee

Artfullee is an album born in the moment, filled with music that finds its natural form as it is created. Giacomo Smith brought six original compositions into the studio, but without written music or charts. Instead, he taught the band outlines by ear. The idea was to give as few instructions as possible and let the musicians’ mutual trust shape the session. “Everyone is reacting, on the spot, to what is going on,” he explains. On the album, Smith plays soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, and bass clarinet. His fluency across a wide selection of woodwinds allows him to choose the instrument that best follows the character of each composition. Still, the clarinet remains closest to his heart. Smith approaches the history of jazz with deep respect paired with a creative curiosity that lets every song go where it wants to. For him, jazz has always been about keeping the music alive, open, and moving. With each generation, the genre’s history is celebrated and reinterpreted with fresh ears and new energy. That philosophy also lies at the heart of Artfullee , and perhaps nowhere is it better understood than in Smith’s collaboration with Norwegian-born and Copenhagen-based drummer, composer, and bandleader Snorre Kirk. When Kirk first heard Smith in 2018, he was immediately struck by his playing. He recognized a musical soulmate and someone he wanted both to play with and write music for. After a hiatus during the pandemic, Smith became a permanent member of Kirk’s celebrated quartet and has appeared on his two most recent albums. With Artfullee, Giacomo Smith invites us into his bright night — a place where melody, atmosphere, friendship, and improvisation are given the freedom to find their own natural form.