Ches Smith is an American musician, whose primary instruments are drums, percussion, and vibraphone.

He recorded and performed an album of his own solo percussion pieces entitled Congs for Brums (2006).

[2] Smith was born in San Diego, California, and raised in Sacramento.

[3] After studying philosophy at the University of Oregon, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995.

[3] He studied composition, improvisation and percussion with Fred Frith, Pauline Oliveros, William Winant and Alvin Curran.