Smitti Supab's road to New Orleans ran through the other side of the world. Before settling in the Crescent City, he taught English in Guangzhou, China, played in expatriate bands, managed a SCUBA resort, and lived for a time with a locally legendary Chinese dub reggae artist — an unconventional apprenticeship that shaped the loose, adaptable musicianship he's known for today. He eventually made his way to New Orleans, where he has worked as a professional bassist — electric and upright — for more than a decade.
Supab's versatility is his calling card. He plays traditional jazz gigs on upright bass, and subs on electric for blues, funk, soul, R&B, pop, country, folk, and rock — often in the same week. He has toured nationally with Eric Lindell, and regularly backs New Orleans musicians including Glen David Andrews, James Andrews, and Mem Shannon, alongside notable turns with Efrem Towns of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ingrid Lucia of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and guitarist Dave Hammer.
In the early 2020s, Supab helped turn a loose circle of fellow sidemen into Captain Buckles, a New Orleans funk, blues, and soul band he now leads on bass and vocals. The band's debut full-length album, Hurry Up, was released in November 2025 after the group received a grant from the Threadhead Cultural Foundation to record it at Dockside Studio. Since 2021 he has also toured Europe most summers, often performing under the banner Smitti & Friends. Supab has described the band as an ongoing experiment in presence and collaboration — an ethos that runs through everything he plays, whether he's fronting his own band or holding the groove for someone else's.
