Acclaimed drummer Nate Smith will bring his LIVE ACTION Tour to Athens on Wednesday, July 8, performing with his quartet at the Dora Stratou Theater on Philopappos Hill.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential and sought-after drummers on today’s music scene, Smith is known for blending jazz, funk, hip-hop, and contemporary groove into performances driven by rhythmic precision, improvisation, and musical versatility.
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The Athens concert follows the release of LIVE ACTION, Smith’s latest album, which received two Grammy Awards this year, including Best Alternative Jazz Album. Conceived as a producer-led project inspired by Quincy Jones, the album brings together a wide range of collaborators while maintaining a cohesive sound shaped by Smith’s creative vision.
According to Smith, the project was built around the musical relationships he developed over the past several years, many of them formed through social media following the pandemic. The album features contributions from Josh Johnson, Marquis Hill, JSWISS, Charlie Hunter, Lionel Loueke, Michael League, Ben Williams, CARRTOONS, DJ Harrison, Kiefer, säje, Jermaine Holmes, and Lalah Hathaway, who performs a reinterpretation of the 1984 hit “Automatic” by The Pointer Sisters.
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Despite its collaborative nature, Smith approached the recording process with a minimalist philosophy. He recorded the album using analog equipment, relied on the same instruments throughout, limited each track to just a few takes, and avoided digital editing techniques. Every instrument on the album was performed live, with no programmed or sequenced parts—a creative approach that inspired the title LIVE ACTION.
