Blue Note records lauds saxophonist Walter Smith III as “among the most impressive tenor saxophonists of our time, equally powerful and articulate, with a room-filling depth of sound that’s unforgettable.” Smith’s TWIO concept - a saxophone trio format that explores classic jazz standards with a focus on simplicity, directness, and spontaneous, conversational interplay. The name itself is a playful portmanteau of the words "trio" and "two." In March of 2026, Smith reprised his acclaimed TWIO concept with the release of TWIO Vol. 2 featuring a core trio of Smith, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Kendrick Scott, playing along with bucket-list guests.
He is/has been a member of several influential groups (recording and/or touring), including the Roy Haynes Fountain of Youth Band, Terence Blanchard Quintet, Eric Harland's “Voyager”, Bill Stewart Trio, Jason Moran’s In My Mind: Monk at Town Hall, Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet, the Christian McBride “Situation”, Marquis Hill “New Gospel Revisited”, Gerald Clayton Quintet, Christian Scott group, and the Sean Jones Quintet to name a few.
Smith has performed worldwide, participating in virtually every international festival and famed venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, and the Kennedy Center. In addition, he has shared the stage and/or appeared on recordings with many important artists including Mulgrew Miller, Billy Childs, Terri Lyne Carrington, Joe Lovano, Herbie Hancock, Maria Schneider, Ron Carter, Ralph Peterson, and a host of others. To date, Walter has appeared on over 100 recordings that have been released worldwide.
George Garzone
Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of The Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972 with bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti until 2020, when Francisco Mela stepped in for Gullotti on drums. He has guested in many situations, touring Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and performing with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z, Peter Erskine and John Patitucci among others. A well-known as a sought-after jazz educator at Berklee College of Music, Garzone has been called “the master of the saxophone” by Michael Brecker, and has tought jazz masters like Joshua Redman, Teadross Avery, Seamus Blake, Chris Cheek, Luciana Souza, Mark Turner, Donny McCaslin, Doug Yates, Danilo Perez and Grammy-winning Drummer Antonio Sanchez, to name a few. He has pioneered the Triadic Chromatic Approach, an improvisation concept which has his own signature in the jazz improvisation vocabulary.
