Featured Leader: Herbert Smith

3rd Trumpet Rochester Philharmonic Director of Jazz Bands RIT Composer, Recording Artist, Conductor

Photographer: Jackie McGriff

Jackie McGriff is the founder and owner of Jackie Photography and Our Voices Project. She's a portrait photographer whose mission is to provide a safe space and platform for teens, women, and people of color to recognize and embrace their worth, live unapologetically, and share their stories.

https://www.jackiephotographs.com/

https://www.ourvoicesproject.com/

Essayist: Taurus Savant

Taurus Savant is a queer Black artist, writer, musician, and community advocate that uses his crafts in creativity to invoke, influence and promote individuality, freedom of expression, and change on a variety of different mediums.

Links referenced in this episode:

• inthismoment585.org

Welcome to in this Revolution Reckoning Reparations. My name is Amanda Chestnut and I am the co founder, curator and publisher for in this Moment.

In this Moment Unveils, amplifies, and preserves the stories of contemporary black leaders from across the Rochester area.

For more information, upcoming events and to review our full catalog, Visit in this moment585.org Meet Herb Smith, third trumpet for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Band leader in his own right with the Freedom Trio. An educator who brings music to youth all across Monroe county and beyond, he is one of many luminaries featured in the in this Moment project.

Herb Smith is depicted in a grayscale image facing left, holding his trumpet to his mouth. The trumpet brightly reflects his rich brown skin. His eyebrows are slightly together and he looks contemplative as he plays.

He has a full dark beard and mustache that are starting to become salt and pepper. His thin locks are pulled together in a bun on the back of his head. He is wearing a sharp looking dark colored suit.

The buttonhole detail at the wrist of the sleeve stands out and complements the white dress shirt. His tie is dark colored with lighter stripes. The title on the right margin of the book says Herbert Smith in this.

Moment Revolution, Reckoning Reparations Herb Smith Essay by Taurus Savant photography by Jackie McGriff.

Herb stands in a patch of natural light surrounded by the dark rubble and graffiti of the abandoned Rochester subway. He smiles down at his trumpet, which he holds at his waist.

He wears charcoal slacks and a matching vest with a light blue dress shirt and a pop of red scarf at his neck. His wrist that is visible is adorned with beaded bracelets.

Intrepid, adventurous, daring, unafraid, Herb Smith stands with an unmistakable presence, a towering height of 6ft 4 inches, salt and pepper locks, ornate jewelry, familiar air, warm smile and a comfortable style. You may know her best as third trumpet and a conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Or perhaps you may know him as an instructor teaching music to young students or from his band, the Freedom Trio.

In a full color image, Herb sits facing the viewer in front of a paneled white wall, leaning forward in a folding chair.

His knees are spread wide, right elbow resting on his thigh, with the side of his face supported by his partially open hand locks loose around his shoulders. Herb is wearing a dark brown suit with a crisp white shirt. Both wrists sport beaded and metal bracelets and each hand has a gold ring.

Herb looks directly into the camera with a piercing expression which seems to challenge the viewer.

In this moment, Herb is a proud man, brimming with optimism and enlightenment.

The last time you may have seen Herb was with a 14 piece ensemble with the RPO playing Fanfare for the Common man for an energized crowd at a rally supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

The performance was for the say Her Name campaign, which aimed to generate continued relevance and justice for black women and films killed by Police, which receives notably less attention than their male counterparts. Believing that music and protests go hand in hand, Herb felt compelled to join.

Days later he would take a powerful photo standing in the middle of the I490 highway, donning a striking green face mask, a black shirt reading Human Rights are not Optional and a solemn expression while police officers wearing face shields and brandishing weapons loom behind him. Opposition to his idea to attend the protest with RPO players wasn't going to deter him. The door is always open.

Imagine hearing the word no like you're bumping into a wall. There are no obstacles in your way, herb states matter of factly. You wouldn't try to bust through the wall, would you? That'd be difficult.

But eventually you will find that door, and it's already open. You just gotta walk through it. He doesn't regret his decision at all.

This grayscale image is a close up view of Herb's face in near profile. The hint of a slight smile plays on his lips. Laugh lines gently crease the corners of his eyes in large white letters. Overlapping the image.

Near the bottom of the page is the text the door is always open.

Herb is the only Black man in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He hopes with his presence and his teachings, he will be able to change that. You have to wonder why that is in all this time.

And it's not because these black folks aren't talented. There's something else happening. He alludes to his alma mater, the Eastman School of Music.

While he works to make classical music accessible to people of all ages, talents and races, he aims to ensure more black faces in the orchestra, regardless of formal training or education, which would be a monumental, groundbreaking mark of history. The title leader fills Herb with a sense of bemusement. I don't really see myself as a leader, he ponders modestly.

I'm just doing what I believe is right. Sometimes I go with the flow. You gotta learn to follow. A general becomes a general because he was the best follower.

This spread contains a column of text on each side with an image of Herb at the bottom of the left page. He sits in full profile facing the reader's right on a simple white folding chair with gray metal legs he is wearing a dark formal suit.

The lightness and simplicity of the background and seating contrast starkly with the darker tones and complexity of Herb. On the white wall behind Herbal is roughly spray painted black graffiti no justice, no Peace. His trumpet is raised to his lips as if he is playing.

Despite his prestigious reputation preceding him, he prefers to be casual and fairly unassuming, not one to be the center of attention. He says the ongoing pandemic has brought a lot of perspective into his life.

I turned 50 years old last year and I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life now than I've ever been. I feel like I'm really living life now and I'm really opening up and not giving an f, he laughs.

He cites bike riding, yoga and meditation, spirituality, a good drink from time to time, and relaxing to be especially beneficial for his well being. Before all this, I never would have gotten to spend a whole day at home taking an afternoon nap.

I was taking meetings, having classes, shows, rehearsals. Now I get to slow down and really appreciate this time and just enjoy the things around me more. Have some good food and a nice glass of wine.

Herb laughs again, grateful for the reflection.

This spread is a single full color image. Herb stands centered, left arm down at his side with his trumpet in hand. His right hand rests in his pocket.

Herb is wearing a charcoal gray vest and dress pants. A light blue button down shirt, a bright red ascot provides one of the few pops of color.

Although his clothing is nearly formal, his stance suggests a casual relaxation. Behind him, the setting is comprised of a haphazard pile of gray bricks or broken cinder blocks and other rubble.

Some of the supporting beams, pillars, columns and other surfaces are marked with graffiti. This page has a grayscale image of Herb at the top and a single column of text beneath it.

In this image, Herb stands in the same abandoned subway setting as the previous page. Herb stands looking down at his trumpet with his head slightly bowed in a contemplative stance.

While Herb's journey has taken many interesting turns, a row of controversy was a sharp turn he wasn't expecting to take. All I said was I'm not sure what to think of this and people went crazy, herb recalls.

This image depicts Herb sitting at a street side coffee shop. His smile is broad and he looks to the viewer's left.

He's wearing a more casual brown shirt with a quarter zipper and a collar and a brightly colored watch. The long glass window behind him reflects the cars on the street before him.

It sparked fiery discussions over whether or not the dress code was discriminatory against black patrons in particular, which those stereotypes and tropes tend to invoke. The post went viral, teeming with more than 1,000 comments and sparking articles about the controversy.

Many of the comments were accusing Herb of playing the race card. Others were ad hominem attacks.

The setting of this image is the same as the previous page. Tables and chairs are visible on the sidewalk as Herb looks straight into the camera.

Sitting with one elbow on the table, his smile and body language suggest a relaxed confidence and openness.

I had people calling me the N word and I was getting death threats. It was overwhelming, difficult and really hurtful to read, actually.

Though he attempted to reach out multiple times to the bar owner to no avail, he connected to people who knew him to talk about the controversy, much to the owner's chagrin. Herb said he heard the man was outraged about the entire situation. The thing is, you can have whatever dress code you want, it's your establishment.

But when you're offending people and excluding certain groups of people, that's a problem. It's not right and I wanted to say something about it, he says while letting out his trademark haughty chuckle.

Shortly after, a seemingly superficial Facebook post by the bar, since deleted, the dress code sign would quietly be taken down. I can laugh at it now because my words did that. I'm not sure what to think of this made all of that happen, but it was still a difficult time.

From the inside of bars to the outsides of streets, Herb is sure to make his presence known. He makes his voice be heard, whether he's using his trumpet or his own voice.

Never being shy to express how he feels, Herb finds it to be within his purpose to sound off whenever he feels there's an opportunity. If not, he'll create it himself.

Herb is seated in a small folding chair facing the camera, with his right leg crossed over his left knee at the ankle. The area is completely empty except on the white wall directly over Herb's head is a large graffiti blm.

To his right, in the same simple style, is painted black Lives always matter. This image is dominated by open space and those two messages, his trumpet in his hand poised as if to Raise it to play with locks loose.

Herb wears a dark brown suit, bright white button down with a dark tie.

The word classical brings forth images of posh, elegant backdrops, three piece suits, concert halls, sounds of Mozart and Beethoven, and a markedly white atmosphere.

And jazz brings forth images of intimate, dimly lit lounges and bars, splashes of wine, a mellow vibe, sounds of Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock, and a distinctly black atmosphere.

In the bottom left corner of this page there is an image of Herb closer up. This shows him from the waist up in the same clothing and setting. Nothing but a blank wall is visible behind him.

With a serious expression, his trumpet is raised and he appears to be playing.

In the intersection stands Herb Smith, trumpet in hand, his talented brilliance bridging the chasm between two very different worlds with the passion of music, bringing together two very different audiences and introducing a flavor that only he can mix. In this moment, Herb Smith is poised to play his part.

The image is a full color page in a full body image, Herb stands in profile. He looks to the viewer's right with an erect, upright posture and head held high. His gaze is upward, looking toward a source of light.

His right hand holds his trumpet down near his waist, gripped as if to be raised to play. His left leg is bent with his foot resting on a piece of the rubble. His left hand rests slightly on his left thigh.

Herb's solemn expression reflects strength and gravitas as he appears to consider the disparity between the ruins behind him and what lies ahead. In this two page color spread, Herb stands with his back toward the viewer and his trumpet raised to his mouth.

He is looking in the direction of a large building, the Eastman School of Music, which dominates the image.

Slightly out of focus and bathed in sunlight, the building appears to be light goldenrod and is adorned with a row of yellow and blue pennants on poles above. Marquee style lighting. The street level floor has a number of evenly spaced mahogany colored windowed doors.

A patch of blue sky surrounded by gray clouds fills the space above Herb's head. He plays his trumpet triumphantly, appearing to serenade or celebrate the building before him.

Torres Savant is a queer black artist, writer, musician and community advocate that uses his crafts and creativity to invoke, influence and promote individuality, freedom of expression and change on a variety of different mediums. Jackie McGriff is the founder and owner of Jackie Photography and Our Voices Project.

She's a portrait photographer whose mission is to provide a safe space and platform for teens, women and people of color to recognize and embrace their worth live unapologetically and share their stories.

She's currently pursuing her Master's degree in Business Administration at Simon Business School to enter photography, videography, and filmmaking full time.

She also works for the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Rochester, mentors teens at her church, and occasionally talks about movies on the little theaters, Movies and a microphone and WXXI's connections with Evan Dawson podcasts.

In her spare time, you can catch her blasting classical music, film scores, jazz and or Christian hip hop in indie rock, or catching up on movies and TV shows that her friends have been begging her to watch for months.

Credits and logos for Suny Brockport and vsw.org back cover in grayscale. Herb's hands and trumpet are visible filling the lower right corner of the page. The trumpet is held as if being played.

Justice for Black Lives is written on the left in simple spray paint, graffiti style. Thank you for listening to this audio presentation of a chapbook from in this Revolution Reckoning Reparation.

If you want to hear more in this Moment, subscribe to the podcast feed wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting your local library. Thank you so much to all of our sponsors. Without you, we would not be able to continue this creative endeavor.

Thank you also to the Lunchador Podcast Network for helping us with tech equipment and your gracious support for our podcast. In this moment. Volume 1 and 2 were published by Visual Studies Workshop Press. In this Moment is currently published by in this Moment Press.