A-NO-NE Music

Alex graduated magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music in 2008. During his time there as a scholarship student Alex studied privately with John Lockwood, Matthew Garrison, Jim Stinnett, Anthony Vitti, Lenny Stalworth and Hal Crook. Alex has performed with the Jazz Composer's Alliance Orchestra and Hiro Honshuku's A No Ne Ensemble. He has performed and/or recorded with Fred Wesley, Tiger Okoshi, Barry Eastmond, Bob Pilkington, Daryl Lowery, Gustavo Assis-Brasil, Neal Itzler, Pablo Bencid, Jeff Galindo, Rick Peckham, Ricardo Monzon, Hiro Honshuku, Natalie Dietrich, Scott deOgburn, Casper Gyldensoe, Vinicius Pienasola, Gilson Schachnik, Winnie Dahlgren, Aruan Ortiz, Larry Finn and more. Raymond Alexander Busby Smith was born on November 22, 1985. When he was in 3rd grade he started learning the cello. By the time he was in 7th grade he was playing songs he heard from the radio on his cello. He would play popular songs for his friends and during orchestra practice he would play them in between pieces. On the last day of school, the conductor approached Alex and said, “You know, there’s a better instrument for what you’re doing. It’s called the bass guitar.” Alex had never heard of the bass guitar, he told his parents what his music teacher had said. On his twelfth birthday Alex was given a bass guitar by his parents. Alex would play all the time. His oldest brother, Malcolm, soon found out and introduced Alex to the music of Victor Wooten. Soon Alex learned of other great bass players such as Jaco Pastorius, John Patitucci, and Marcus Miller. Alex hasn’t looked back since.