When Nate Smith is behind the drum kit, you know it’s going to groove beautifully. As a drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader, the two-time Grammy winner moves effortlessly between jazz, hip-hop, and soul. The American grew up in Virginia and was already on stage at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York at the age of twenty. Since then, he has collaborated with greats such as Pat Metheny, Norah Jones, Childish Gambino, and Brittany Howard. On his latest album, Live Action (for which he won the Grammys for Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Arrangement), he brings together an impressive array of guest musicians into a warm, analog whole. The record was recorded entirely live, simply because the live setting captures the purity of his music best. Live, Smith is a presence who gets every venue moving with his unmistakable groove.