Home » Jazz Musicians » Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith

Anthony Smith has been performing, arranging, composing and producing music professionally for twenty-five years. As a pianist, keyboardist and vibraphonist, he has worked with many well-known artists in the world of jazz, and also pop, rock and a variety of other genres. In addition to working as a sideman in a large number of both local and touring groups, Anthony has led many of his own bands, performing extensively throughout the U.S., and also abroad on occasion.

Anthony is also a prolific composer and writer, having written and produced numerous albums, screenplays, stage plays, and a seven-hundred-page memoir titled “The Lizard Stays in the Cage,” published in 2013. He served for years on the jazz faculty at San Diego State University, where he earned a Masters Degree in 2010, and was the regular keyboardist for The Mighty Untouchables, one of San Diego’s premier variety pop/rock acts. Anthony also performed regularly for many years with a who’s who of San Diego’s finest jazz musicians, appearing live at many of the city’s top clubs and venues on an ongoing basis.

In 2014, Anthony relocated to New York City with his wife and two sons, and is currently establishing himself in the East Coast’s vibrant jazz scene, as both a vibraphonist and pianist.

Tags

3
Multiple Reviews

Playing It Forward: A Pair From Vibraphonist Anthony Smith

Read "Playing It Forward: A Pair From Vibraphonist Anthony Smith" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


There are two ways to look at the vibraphone: as an instrument with constructional properties that limit those who stand before it or as a portal to possibility that challenges players to rise above those limitations. Anybody with a pragmatic bone in their body understands and accepts the former as a truth of sorts, as yarn (or rubber) on metal can only do so many things. But every vibraphonist who's made their mark tends to lean toward the latter line ...

4
Take Five With...

Take Five with Anthony Smith

Read "Take Five with Anthony Smith" reviewed by Anthony Smith


About Anthony Smith: Anthony Smith has been playing piano and vibraphone, as well as various keyboards, professionally for twenty-five years. He has released numerous recordings, worked in a variety of genres, and toured extensively as both a leader and a sideman, with many different projects. His last jazz vibraphone recording, Connections, made it to the top 20 of the national jazz radio charts. His new recording, Play It Forward, Volume One and Two, features a stellar lineup of New ...

Read more articles
2

Book / Magazine

Recent Reading: A Book About Vibes

Recent Reading: A Book About Vibes

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey

Anthony Smith, Masters of The Vibes (Marimba Productions, Inc.) Smith’s book includes a timeline that traces the history of the vibraphone, which early in its life began to be popularly known to its players and to listeners simply as vibes or the vibes. The greater part of the book consists of Smith’s transcribed conversations with 34 vibes players—famous ones like Terry Gibbs, Gary Burton, Charlie Shoemake and Warren Wolf, and newcomers including Yuhan Su, Joel Ross and Jake Chapman. As ...

3

Performance / Tour

Anthony Smith Quintet CD Release At Cornelia St. Cafe: "Play It Forward"

Anthony Smith Quintet CD Release At Cornelia St. Cafe: "Play It Forward"

Source: Anthony Smith

Established Vibraphonist/Composer Anthony Smith Starts Fresh in New York City, Releases New Double-Recording, Play It Forward, Volume One and Two Release Concert at Cornelia St. Café, October 4th, 2015, 9pm Recording Features Rising Stars of NYC Jazz Scene: Syberen Van Munster (guitar), Petros Klampanis (bass), Kenny Pexton (saxophone), Mark Ferber (drums) A couple years ago, vibraphonist/pianist/composer Anthony Smith was living in jny: San Diego, California, working in a wide variety of musical genres, teaching at a local university, and raising ...

"One of my favorite musicians that recently arrived in NYC is Anthony Smith. He's a jazz artist of the highest level—a deep thinker with an interest in pushing the vibraphone more into the focus of jazz fans and enthusiasts. Anthony's incredible abilities as a pianist give him a unique approach to the vibraphone, allowing him to make melodic and harmonic choices that are refreshing. As a bandleader with years of experience, he surrounds himself with world class, like-minded musicians that make his performances stand out." —Behn Gillece, vibraphonist/composer, clinician, Positone recording artist

Photos

Music

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.