Since returning back to Columbus in 2022, Jake has quickly built a reputation as one of the top up-and-coming musicians on the scene. He is a woodwind specialist and can be heard performing on all members of the saxophone family, clarinet, bass clarinet and flute. Though his specialization is in jazz, he is a versatile performer and has the range to perform in a wide range of musical settings including rock, funk, motown, soul, blues, classical and more! He leads his own trio and quartet which are heard frequently at the hottest jazz club in Columbus; the Ginger Rabbit. As an educator, Jake manages a private saxophone studio, works as a teaching artist at Jazz Arts Group and is an adjunct music professor at Ohio Wesleyan University

Additionally, he is a frequent sideman with numerous groups in central Ohio including the Rick Brunetto Big Band, Parallel Structures, Jasmine Spitzer Quintet, Will Strickler Quartet, Ben Maloney Quartet, Matthew Payton-Dixon Group, and the Rachel Azbell Quintet. He has made appearances with the likes of Sheryl Crow, Debby Boone The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Jazz Orchestra, New Albany Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Festival Orchestra, Vaughn Weister’s Famous Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Floyd, Pete Mills, Jim Rupp, George Delancey, Bryan Olsheski, Derek Dicenzo, Waves Colectivo, Jerry Powell, Zakk Jones, Tony Hagood, and Paul Strawser.

Back in 2019, Jake headed to New York City where he pursued a master’s degree at The City College of New York. During his time in New York, he studied with world-renowned artists like Steve Wilson, Ed Neumeister, Jason Rigby, Mike Holober and Fred Hersch. He was active on the scene and could be frequently heard at clubs like Silvana, Shrine, and Penny Jo’s. After several years working in New York City, Jake decided to come home to Columbus where he is now an active performer and educator.

Before leaving for New York, he attended Bowling Green State University where he earned a bachelor of music degree and studied with New York saxophonist, David Bixler and Columbus saxophonist Pete Mills. Jake built close relationships and studied with many of the faculty members like Jeff Halsey, Ariel Kasler, Dr. Dan Piccolo, and Dr. Sidra Lawrence. During his time at BGSU, he was hired by Dr. Lawrence as the music arranger for the Afro Caribbean Ensemble, which left him in charge of transcribing multiple recordings a week and making arrangements for the ensemble. In addition to his studies, he began working professionally in the Toledo/Ann Arbor/Detroit area and still maintains relationships with many prominent musicians in the area. He had the opportunity to perform with many prestigious artists during his time at Bowling Green, including: Maria Schneider, Miguel Zenon, Dayna Stephens, Rich Perry, Antonio Hart, Robert Hurst, Mike Rodriguez, Alan Ferber, Loren Stillman, Matt Wilson, Pete McCann, and Carl Allen.

Jake was born in Columbus, OH and is an alumni of Grove City High School where he was a very active participant in the very reputable and high achieving band program. During these years, Jake was a student of Matt Adams and was deeply influenced by the sounds of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Lester Young, Stan Getz and many others. He was a two-time OMEA All-State Jazz Ensemble member and spent three years as a member of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra, where he received mentorship from local professionals as well as Grammy-award winning guest artists like Tia Fuller, John Clayton, Alan Baylock, Gerald Clayton, Lewis Nash, Shelly Berg and more. In 2015, Jake Smith was named a Hank Marr Jazz Award Finalist.