Howlett Smith. Several years ago, I use to like to the Bob Burns steakhouse on Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, California. I'd order my Saphire martini and t-bone steak Pittsburg style and eat at the piano bar. There would be the great Smitty, tickling the ivories and singing great jazz tunes from the 30's thru 50's. There was something very sincere, gentlemanly about his performance style and it always made my day to hear him play.

Bob Burns closed down and I never knew what happened to Smitty. Smash cut many years later, we found him during PAH-FEST:Hollywood purely by coincidence. It turned out he was the main piano man at the Hollywood Studio Bar & grill, a PAH-FEST sponsor, located in the Gower Gulch just down the street from EARSXXI/PlasterCITY on Sunset Blvd.

I still find his interpretation of "Poor Butterfly" one of the best.




For Smitty's schedule of performances check out the Hollywood Studio Bar & Grill web page. It's an intimate jazz club with great music and excellent food.