Ches Smith

Ches Smith is an American musician, whose primary instruments are drums and percussion.

He recorded and performed an album of his own solo percussion pieces entitled Congs for Brums (2006). In 2010 he released Noise to Men.

Biography Smith was born in San Diego, California, and raised in Sacramento. After studying philosophy at the University of Oregon, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995.

Discography

As leader/co-leader 2006 – Congs for Brums (Free Porcupine Society) 2010 – Noise to Men (Self Released) & Congs for Brums 2010 – Finally Out of My Hands (Skirl) & These Arches 2012 – Psycho Predictions (Figure Eight Records) & Congs for Brums 2013 – Hammered (Clean Feed) & These Arches 2014 – International Hoohah (ForTune) & These Arches 2016 – The Bell (ECM) Trio w Craig Taborn, Mat Maneri 2018 – A Complete and Tonal Disaster (Self Released) & Congs for Brums 2021 – Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic) & We All Break 2022 – Interpret It Well (Pyroclastic) 2024 – Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic) 2025 – Clone Row (Otherly Love Records)

As sideman with Tim Berne 2012 – Snakeoil (ECM) 2013 – Shadow Man (ECM) 2015 – You've Been Watching Me (ECM) 2015 – Spare (Screwgun) 2017 – Incidentals (ECM) 2020 – The Fantastic Mrs. 10 (Intakt) 2020 – The Deceptive 4 (Live) (Intakt) 2022 - Decay (Screwgun)

with Trevor Dunn's trio-convulsant 2004 – Sister Phantom Owl Fish (Ipecac)

with Mary Halvorson 2008 - Dragon's Head 2010 - Saturn Sings 2012 - Bending Bridges 2013 - Illusionary Sea 2013 - Ghost Loop 2016 - Away With You

with Moe! Staiano 2001 – The Lateness of Yearly Presentations

with Moe! Staiano's Moe!kestra! 2006 – An Inescapable Siren Within Earshot Distance Therein and Other Whereabouts 2007 – Two Rooms of Uranium Inside 83 Markers

with Graham Connah 2001 – The Only Song We Know

with Good For Cows 2001 – Good for Cows 2003 – Cows Less Than or Equal To 2004 – Bebop Fantasy 2008 – 10th Concert Anniversary 2010 – Audumla

with Theory Of Ruin 2002 – Counter–Culture Nosebleed 2003 – Frontline Posterchild

with Mitch Marcus Quintet 2002 – Entropious

with Lou Harrison 2003 – Drums Along the Pacific

with John Zorn 2003 – Voices in the Wilderness (Tzadik) 2016 – The Painted Bird (Tzadik) 2018 – The Urmuz Epigrams (Tzadik) 2018 – In a Convex Mirror (Tzadik) 2020 – Les Maudits (Tzadik) 2021 – Heaven and Earth Magick (Tzadik) 2022 – Incerto (Tzadik) 2022 – Suite For Piano (Tzadik)

with Xiu Xiu 2002 – Knife Play with Greg Saunier 2003 – A Promise 2005 – La Foret 2007 – Remixed and Covered as Good for Cows 2008 – Women as Lovers 2010 – Dear God I Hate Myself 2012 – Always 2013 – Nina

with David Torn 2019 – Sun Of Goldfinger (ECM) 2020 – Sun Of Goldfinger (Congratulations to You) (Screwgun) 2022 - Ozmir (Screwgun)

with Secret Chiefs 3 2004 – Book of Horizons 2008 – Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9 2013 – Book of Souls: Folio A 2019 – The Book Beri'ah Vol 10—Malkhut

with Aaron Novik 2004 – Gubbish: Notations in Tonations 2006 – Kipple: Flashes of Irrational Happiness

with Redressers 2004 – To Each According...

with Carla Bozulich/Evangelista 2009 – Prince of Truth 2011 – In Animal Tongue 2014 – I'm Gonna Stop Killing

with Will Bernard Trio 2005 – Directions to My House

with Fever Pitch 2005 – Just Drums 2 Project

with Sean Hayes 2006 – Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star

with Todd Sickafoose 2006 – Blood Orange

with Ben Goldberg Quintet 2006 – The Door, the Hat, the Chair, the Fact

with 7 Year Rabbit Cycle 2006 – Ache Horns

with Fred Frith, Darren Johnston, Devin Hoff and Larry Ochs 2007 – Reason to Move

with Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog 2008 – Party Intellectuals 2013 – Your Turn 2018 – YRU Still Here? 2020 - What I Did On My Long 'Vacation' 2021 - Hope 2023 - Connection

with Leonid Fedorov, Vladimir Volkov, John Medeski, Marc Ribot 2010 – RazinRimILev

with Dave Holland 2018 – Uncharted Territories

with Moonface 2018 – This One's for the Dancer & This One's for the Dancer's Bouquet