Composer and Saxophonist
About
Jasmine Lovell-Smith is a composer, saxophonist and educator based in Morelia, Mexico. Her music explores the intersections of jazz, improvisation and chamber music, and she enjoys bringing together the unique voices of improvisers to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Originally from New Zealand, Jasmine has also been based in the United States (NY and CT) and Mexico. She has released three albums as a bandleader: Fortune Songs (2012) and Yellow Red Blue (2016) with her New York based quintet Towering Poppies, and Sanctuary (2021) in collaboration with fellow saxophonist composer Jake Baxendale and an 11-piece New Zealand-based ensemble. Her music has been described as “arrestingly wry and lyrical” (New York City Jazz Record) and “an intriguing intersection of avant-garde art music and chamber jazz” (NZ Musician).
As a composer, Jasmine has been commissioned by the Wellington Jazz Festival, Stroma and the Jac, the New Zealand School of Music and Hannah Darroch and Andrew Crooks. Her catalog of works includes compositions for jazz, classical and improvising ensembles, and she particularly enjoys writing for combined ensembles that incorporate musicians from varied genre backgrounds. Jasmine holds a Doctor of Music Arts degree in composition from the New Zealand School of Music, where she studied with John Psathas, and an MA in composition from Wesleyan University (CT, USA), where she studied with Anthony Braxton and Paula Matthusen.
As a saxophonist, Jasmine has performed at venues including Roulette, Korzo and SEEDS (New York City), Sala Xochipilli and Jazzorca (Mexico City), Teatro Ocampo and Amaticafe (Morelia, MX), Happy and Havana Bar (New Zealand), in contexts including Anthony Braxton’s Falling River Nonet (2014) with new music ensemble Stroma (2018) and as a soloist with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Michoacan (2015). Recent projects have included improvising chamber quartet the Noveltones and composers' collective the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra. She has lectured at the New Zealand School of Music, the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo and the Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores (UNAM). She lives in Morelia, Michoacan with her family.