SML is a Los Angeles instrumental jazz quintet — Anna Butterss, Josh Johnson, Gregory Uhlmann, Jeremiah Chiu, and Booker Stardrum — drawn from the city's experimental scene around International Anthem. Their 2024 debut Small Medium Large is the place to start. Browse SML vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
SML is an American instrumental jazz quintet formed in Los Angeles. The band's name is derived from their Small Medium Large (2024) album title. The lineup features Anna Butterss (bass; parallel work with Jenny Lewis, Phoebe Bridgers, and many others), Josh Johnson (saxophone; parallel work with Leon Bridges, Jeff Parker, Marquis Hill), Gregory Uhlmann (guitar; parallel work with Perfume Genius, Fell Runner), Jeremiah Chiu (synthesizer; parallel work with Marta Sofia Honer and Jeff Parker), and Booker Stardrum (drums; parallel work with Iceage, Cassandra Jenkins, and many others). All members are associated with the contemporary Los Angeles experimental jazz and instrumental music scenes and the broader International Anthem Records community. Their 2024 debut LP Small Medium Large received critical attention.
SML's sound combines instrumental jazz, experimental jazz, contemporary jazz, ambient jazz, post-rock influences, electronic, and improvised music with virtuosic ensemble interplay, atmospheric production approaches, and integration of multiple jazz and experimental music traditions.
International Anthem Recording Co. pressings of the SML catalog have been issued in color variant editions, with collector demand in contemporary instrumental jazz collecting communities.
Listeners new to SML typically start with Small Medium Large (2024).
