This podcast is devoted to a relatively unknown alto saxophonist active in Kansas City in the 1930s. Although not as well-remembered as the more famous alto men like Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, or Willie Smith from the swing era, Buster left a huge musical legacy for jazz saxophone playing. Together with Lester Young he was a primary influence on the young Charlie Parker when Parker was coming of age in Kansas City in the 1930s. Charlie Parker copied Buster’s sound and vibrato to such a degree that it was difficult to tell the difference between them when they were both playing with the Jay McShann Orchestra in the early 1940s. Buster’s last years were spent in relative obscurity living in Texas while Charlie Parker went on to become one of the greatest performers and innovators in jazz.
Buster Smith
| Composition | Artist | Year |
| Swingmatism | Charlie Parker with Jay McShann Orchestra | 1941 |
| I Got It Bad | Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington | 1940 |
| Jeep's Blues | Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington | 1940 |
| Krazy Capers | Benny Carter with Chocolate Dandies | 1933 |
| There's Squabblin' | Buster Smith with Walter Page Blue Devils | 1929 |
| Blue Devil Blues | Buster Smith with Walter Page Blue Devils | 1929 |
| Baby, Look at You | Buster Smith with Pete Johnson | 1939 |
| Cherry Red | Buster Smith with Pete Johnson | 1939 |
| Moten Swing | Buster Smith with the Eddie Durham Orchestra | 1940 |
| Moten Swing | Charlie Parker with Jay McShann Orchestra | 1940 |