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Every
once in a while, someone comes along with a different perspective
-- a new vision in which the combination of many musical styles
is expressed in a most welcome way. Steve Smith is unique
in his ability to be at home in many musical settings.
Steve
attributes this talent to the way he studied music. "I
studied all the traditional methods, rudiments, George Lawrence
Stone's Stick Control, Jim Chapin's Advanced Techniques for the
Modern Drummer, Ted Reed's Syncopation, etcetera, and my
development traced the history of the evolution of American
music. I developed by studying and playing Marching Band,
Dixieland, Swing, Big Band, Bebop, Avant-Garde, R&B, Rock
& Roll, Fusion, Heavy Metal, and World Rhythms."
He
began studying drums at age 9 with former Big Band era drummer
Bill Flanagan. This background prepared Steve for his continuing
education at the Berklee College of Music in his hometown of
Boston, MA. There, he studied with Alan Dawson and Gary Chaffee.
Courses in composition, arranging, and ear training helped to
mold Steve into the consummate musician he is today.
Opportunity
knocked in October of 1976, when Steve left Berklee to join
jazz/fusion pioneer Jean-Luc Ponty. After touring and recording
with Ponty for a year, Steve got the urge to delve into Rock
& Roll, and linked up with Ronnie Montrose in 1978. This then
led to his seven year-stint with the immensely popular group,
Journey.
Steve,
however, kept his interest in jazz alive by recording and touring
with his own group, Vital Information, during breaks from
Journey. Their first recorded release was Vital Information,
followed by the albums Orion, Global Beat, Fiafiaga
(Celebration), Vitalive!, Easier Done Than Said, Ray
of Hope, and their most recent release, Where We Come From.
Steve
left Journey in 1985 and has since recorded and/or toured with
Steps Ahead, Randy Brecker, Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Stanley Clarke, Mariah Carey, Ahmad Jamal, Stu
Hammn, Tony MacAlpine, Dweezil Zappa, and Y&T. He joined in
the Journey reuinion tour in 1996-7, and performed on their 1996
disc, Trial By Fire, on the Columbia label.
Steve
is highly regarded as a teacher/clincian, having given many
clinic sessions throughout the USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan. As
part of his commitment to helping his fellow musicians, he has
released two instructional videos through DCI. The 1987 American
Video Conference award "Steve Smith Part 1" Best Music
Instructional Video.
Steve
is especially proud to have been voted "#1 All-Around
Dummer" in the Modern Drummer Readers Poll for five
consecutive years, from 1987-1991, which earned him a place in
the Modern Drummer Poll Hall of Fame.
Steve
Smith plays Sonor Hilite drums, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth
"Steve Smith" Signature Sticks, Remo Drum Heads, DW
Bass Drum Pedals, and puts them all in Porcaro Cases.
DISCOGRAPHY
- with Journey
- Greatest Hits Live
(1998, Columbia Records)
- Trial By Fire (1996,
Columbia Records)
- Time3 (1992,
Columbia Records)
- The Ballade (1991,
Sony Japan - available
only in Japan)
- Greatest Hits (1988,
Columbia Records)
- Raised On Radio
(1986, Columbia Records)
- Drums on "Positive
Touch", "The Eyes Of A Woman", and
"Why Can't This Night Go On Forever"
- Frontiers (1983,
Columbia Records)
- Escape (1981,
Columbia Records)
- Captured (1981,
Columbia Records)
- Dream, After Dream
(1980, Sony Records)
- Departure (1980,
Columbia Records)
- Evolution (1979,
Columbia Records)
- with Vital Information
- Where We Come From
(1998, Intuition Records)
- Ray of Hope (1996,
Intuition Records)
- Easier Done Than Said
(1992, Blue Note Records)
- Vitalive! (1991,
Blue Note Records - now
available on Intuition Music)
- Fiafiga (1988,
Columbia Records)
- Global Beat (1987,
Columbia Records)
- Orion (1984,
Columbia Records)
- Vital Information
(1983, Columbia Records)
- with The Storm
- The Storm (1991,
Interscope)
- with Jean-Luc Ponty
- Enigmatic Ocean
(1977, Atlantic)
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