Avant-classical and jazz clarinetist, born September 22, 1926 in Sacramento, California; died February 29, 2020 in Seattle, Washington.
Smith studied at Julliard and Mills College. At the latter institution, he met Dave Brubeck and became part of his octet. William lived in Italy in the early 1960's where he collaborated with Luigi Nono among others. While there, he and John Eaton commissioned Paolo Ketoff to built the Syn-ket synthesizer. He performed the Nuova Consonanza festivals and was an original member of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. In 1966, he relocated to Seattle, Washington, to teach at the University of Washington, and has lived there ever since.