| Member Since | 4/13/2008 | | Band Website | www.microlync.com/smitty | | Band Members | Bands: Mind's Eye, Evidence, Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra, New Orleans Nouveau, Kalamazoo Big Band, Steve Talaga, Edye Evans Hyde, Steve Sandner, Clifford Music Group, Terry Lower, et al. | | Influences | I lived in Boston and attended Berklee for two years, where I studied with, among others, Billy Thompson and the fantastic Bob Mover. I finished two degrees at Western Michigan University, where I studied with Trent Kynaston. I've been fortunate in that I've been able to continue my musical education--playing professionally with some of the best musicians in the Midwest, as well as many nationally and internationally known artists. And, of course, I try to study the Great Players as much as I can. | | Sounds Like | Okay, so everybody's putting all their "I worked with" stuff up- here's mine (in no particular order):
Bobby Watson, David Liebman, Richie Beirach, Red Rodney, Terry Gibbs, Jerry Gonzalez, Steve Wiest, Mike Vax, Roland Hanna, Frank Mantooth, Jon Faddis, John MacNeil, Robin Eubanks, Lew Tabackin, Peter Erskine, Clare Fischer, Greg Abate, Danny Heines, Jimmy Bruno/Jack Wilkins Quintet, Mark Elf, Christian Howes, Daniel Kelly, Andre Bush, Jenna Mammina, Dr. Paul Brewer, Trent Kynaston, Steve Zegree, Bob Ricci, Bruce Early, Paul Keller, Steve Talaga, Pete Siers, Randy Gelispie, Paul Vornhagen, Rick Margitza, Jason Palmer, Matt Brewer, Bill Dowdy (drummer-The Three Sounds), Steven Duke, Marcus Belgrave, Betty Joplin, Jim Cooper, Eddie Russ, Terry Lower, Craig Taborn, John Shea, Dick Reynolds, Sunny Wilkinson, Ramona Collins, Susan Chastain, Kathy Kosins, Claudia Schmidt, Steve Sandner, Peter Yellin, Freida Lee, Harvey Thompson, Ken Morgan, Randy Marsh, Quincy Davis, Shawn Wallace, Paul Finkbeiner, Gerald Cleaver, Cary Kocher, Doug Horn, Tony Viviano, Jeff Kressler, Rick Roe, Larry Nozero, Jeff Haas, Ron Getz, Eddie Calhoun, Dave Hay, Wycliffe Gordon, Mark Byerly, Edgar Struble, Edye Evans Hyde, La Famiglia (the one that's based in GR, MI), Sean Dobbins, Kalamazoo (MI) Big Band, Bird Of Paradise Orchestra (Ann Arbor, MI), Tim Collins Big Band (Battle Creek, MI), Bruce Early Big Band, The Night Band (Grand Rapids, MI), Grand Rapids (MI) Jazz Orchestra, Truth in Jazz Orchestra (Muskegon, MI), Tom King and the Royal Chicagoans, 45th Parallel Big Band (Traverse City, MI), Russ Morgan Orchestra, Obscene Bird of the Night, Tony Barron Orchestra; Cab Calloway, Temptations, Four Tops, Natalie Cole, Bernadette Peters, Johnny Mathis, Engelbert Humperdinck, Milton Berle, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis, Nelson Riddle Orchestra; Grand Rapids (MI) Symphony, Grand Rapids Ballet, West Shore (Muskegon, MI) Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Cadillac (MI) Area Symphony Orchestra, AFM Local 228 Concert Band (Kalamazoo, MI); and in theatre orchestras, including those of the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids Civic Theaters, Heritage Theater (Grand Rapids), Michigan Ensemble Theater (Traverse City, MI), Barn Theatre (Augusta, MI); and in pit orchestras for many touring Broadway productions.
At Western Michigan U.: Gold Company, Symphonic Bands, Symphony Orchestra; Jazz Orchestra/Jazz Lab Band, as performer or director, with concerts at the Montreux (Switzerland) International, Montreux/Detroit, Notre Dame, Aquinas (Grand Rapids, MI) College, and Elmhurst (IL) College jazz festivals.
I have taught at BLue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Aquinas College Jazz Camp, Birch Creek Music Center, Hillsdale College, and Western Michigan University. And as a high school student, I attended Stan Kenton and Jamey Aebersold jazz clinics, and music camps at Ferris State University (Big Rapids, MI) and the National Music Camp at Interlochen (MI).
| | Record Label | Smitty Music | | Type of Label | Indie |
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