Chad Smith started playing saxophone in 5th grade and was first introduced to Jazz in the middle school jazz ensemble. He was instantly drawn to play jazz saxophone and played both Baritone and Lead Alto Saxophone through high school in Grove OK. He was lead alto for the 1991 Oklahoma Music Educators Association All State Band.
Chad continued to play with big bands through college at the University of Oklahoma and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1999 with his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. After college, he moved to Baytown Texas to work as a refining engineer for ExxonMobil.
After building his career for a few years and sitting in with bands in South Texas, Chad moved back to Northwest Arkansas to start a family, began playing in local NWA bands. Chad currently is lead alto for the Jack Terry Big Band and sits in with other area big bands
Chad is the owner of Continuous Improvement Solutions, a nationwide consulting business and Vice President of a start-up energy efficiency company, IB Technology Group. Chad enjoys playing music, fishing, sailing and flying. He has been married to his lovely bride and best friend Jennifer for nearly 16 years. They have a 6 year old daughter who loves music and sings non-stop.
