Jay Smith Group

7:30pm Doors

8pm Show

$30 - General Seating

$40 - VIP Seating

+$10 On all Ticket Tiers - At The Door

*One drink minimum per person

Called a "fixture in the Central Valley" by NPR, Jay Smith is an Official Hammond Artist whose band has channeled everything from jazz fusion to pop across a wide-ranging career. An alum of Cal State Bakersfield and Fresno City College, he leads both Mento Buru — voted Best Band 2010–2018 by Bakersfield Magazine — and the Jay Smith Trio/Group, featuring a rotating cast of top Central Valley players.

For the last 20 years, the Jay Smith Group has toured California, hitting spots like the Baked Potato in Studio City, The Grape in Ventura, the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, and Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. He's been heard on dozens of radio and TV stations, hosted his own show on Fresno's 90.7 KSFR for five years, and served as lead instructor at the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop for its first four years. In 2021 he opened Bakersfield Music Lessons in downtown Bakersfield, now home to 12 instructors after his own 20 years of teaching.

Smith's catalog runs six albums deep, starting with Unashamed Portrayal — featuring Grammy-nominated guitarist Andre Bush and named All About Jazz's download of the day — followed by the fan-titled Too Many Notes, a nod to his blisteringly fast playing style. Later releases include Just Stop and the live trio record The Trio Showed Up, plus Too Many Tracks, a 40-song live collection released for his 40th birthday in 2023.

His most recent work includes 2024's Not So Jazz Sessions Vol. 1, a collaboration with violinist Patrick Contreras, and the 2025 Valentine's Day single "Calling Me," recorded with vocalist Marlon Mackey during the pandemic.