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Greg Smith

Playing guitar since 1966, Greg has played in many styles, ranging from classical, through rock,blues,country, straight ahead jazz and smooth jazz, and all the way to free jazz. He attended Berklee College of Music in 1973 and has studied with Pat Metheny, Larry Coryell and pianist Manfredo Fest. He is a wonderful straight ahead jazz and smooth jazz guitarist,a chord melody specialist and has composed many jazz , rock and fusion tunes, as well as a recent string quartet and a fantasia for full orchestra, viola, and bassoon. He has performed all over the United States with various stars such as Chick Corea, Edgar Winter, Larry Coryell, Jeff Berlin, Glen Zotolla, Randy Sabien and Brian Torff. He has opened concerts for Diana Krall, Brian Wilson, Issac Hayes, The Moody Blues,Chris Botti, Jonathan Butler and Tuck and Patti. Greg took part in a rare Billie Holiday tribute performance by award winning actress Juliette Lewis.

Currently he performs weekly around the greater Tampa Bay area as a solo acoustic guitarist, as well as with numerous duos, the Heartdance band and the Alvina Moore Band. He works as a studio musician and arranger for Artists Career Services. Purchase Greg's lastest CD, "Above the Clouds",a warm blend of smooth jazz,world music and new age, in a rich tapestry of Americana, served up in a style uniquely his own.

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107
Album Review

Greg Smith: Above the Clouds

Read "Above the Clouds" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Guitarist/composer/educator Greg Smith attempts an ambitious synthesis within adult contemporary jazz intended to jettison his jazz vision from the maudlin confines of what passes for “smooth jazz today. Smith is not satisfied with the cliché throbbing synthesizers and intellectually deprived virtuosity plaguing the majority of jazz ostensibly intended for greater crossover appeal. Smith's approach is successful in its intentions on Above The Clouds.

This recording is a collection of original compositions that function as an integrated suite or “tone poem ...

163
Album Review

Greg Smith: Above The Clouds

Read "Above The Clouds" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


One of the oddities in musical categorization has been the establishment of the New Age and smooth jazz (aka contemporary jazz) genres. Although they originally represented very different branches of popular music, the distinction has continued to blur over the decades.

Originally, New Age music was established by musicians and entrepreneurs like Will Ackerman, who founded Windham Hill Records three decades ago. They developed a musical specialty in which acoustic players could record in solo, duet and small ...

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Event

Greg Smith CD Release Party on September 16, 2006

Greg Smith CD Release Party on September 16, 2006

Source: Kari-On Productions

Tampa Based Composer, Guitarist Displays Depth, Beauty and Technical Prowess on His Release Above the Clouds

CD RELEASE PARTY

Greg Smith will be releasing Above the Clouds on Saturday, September 16, 2006, in his home town of Tampa, Florida. Above the Clouds is a warm blend of smooth-jazz, world music and new age, in a rich tapestry of Americana, served up in a style uniquely rooted in Smith's experiences.

Smith has been a vital part of the music scene since ...

"Greg Smith has a warmth to his playing and his sound that is unique. His phrasing caresses you like a hug from an old friend." —- Chick Corea

"Greg is a great guitar player; he's got great technique, fabulous ideas, and his sense of timing is right on the mark. He's a true spiritual being with an unsurpassed seeking mind and will continue to fold the benefits of his humanistic quest into his ever-evolving musical expression." —- Larry Coryell

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