Tom Smith is an extraordinarly original fingerstyle guitar/banjo player closer to Kotke than Hedges; this is Tom's first "studio' album in years, it has some of his favorite older tunes, as well as new material.

10 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Smooth Jazz, FOLK: Modern Folk



Details:
This is the most recient studio album. It is the work Tom is most proud of. There are some things from other CDs, but these sessions show the depth of development that time has on a piece of music. It is a beautiful CD.

Tom Smith has been making music for more than three decades. His unique style has caught the ear of music critics throughout the country. His contemporaries have lauded his playing skills since he came onto the Northern California folk scene in the 1970's. He has performed from one side of the country to another in venues as diverse as the music he plays. He has shared stages with artists such as Odetta, John Hammond, Michael Hedges, Robin Ford, Tuck and Patti, Dave Von Ronk, John Fahey, Jessee Winchester and Todd Philips.

Tom has a style all his own. It reflects the influences of jazz, blues, country as well as classical composers. With influences that include Beethoven, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Tuck Andress; Tom has followed a path that is original and heartfelt.

His performances take audiences on a creative tour through the world of their own imaginations. From dancing leprechauns and rose-scented evenings to the darker and mysterious places that live within us all. Tom creates sonic images with his guitar and banjos, creating "musical pictures" for his listeners. He creates a unique musical universe and helps his audience explore.

In his book "American Guitar", author and composer Maurizio Angeletti said that Tom "...is completely free from the barriers of commercial music...the playing is, and couldn't be other than a reflection about life, and the conceptual transcription of it into music..."