Pete Smyser
Encyclopedia
Pete Smyser is an American jazz
guitar
ist and teacher.
Jazz critics have likened Pete Smyser to such legendary guitarists as Wes Montgomery
, Joe Pass
, Jim Hall
, and Barney Kessel
. Smyser, who lives, teaches, and performs in southeastern Pennsylvania
, is listed among greats in Maurice J. Summerfield's book The Jazz Guitar, and was on the Artist Roster of the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT) from 1997 to 2004. He is also an endorser for American Archtop guitar
s.
Pete Smyser performs solo, duo or ensemble concert performances and educational programs. Pete's concert repertoire is centered around Great American Songbook
and jazz standards, classical guitar
selections, as well as original compositions.
area. He has shared the bandstand with many notable jazz artists including Warren Vache
, Larry McKenna, John Swana, Claude "The Fiddler" Williams, Grant Stewart, Steve Gilmore, and Robert "Bootsie" Barnes
.
disc. The swing is deep, the intentions old-school. Smyser's tunes go down easily... The set is highly traditional and worthy of wider recognition."
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and teacher.
Jazz critics have likened Pete Smyser to such legendary guitarists as Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
, Jim Hall
Jim Hall (musician)
James Stanley Hall is an American jazz guitarist.-Biography:Educated at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Hall moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then international, attention in the late 1950s...
, and Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
. Smyser, who lives, teaches, and performs in southeastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, is listed among greats in Maurice J. Summerfield's book The Jazz Guitar, and was on the Artist Roster of the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT) from 1997 to 2004. He is also an endorser for American Archtop guitar
Archtop guitar
An archtop guitar is a steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with blues and jazz players.Typically, an archtop guitar has:* 6 strings...
s.
Pete Smyser performs solo, duo or ensemble concert performances and educational programs. Pete's concert repertoire is centered around Great American Songbook
Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
and jazz standards, classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
selections, as well as original compositions.
Background
Smyser has appeared on television and radio shows in addition to countless performances at festivals, clubs, universities, and churches. In addition to these appearances, he has given frequent performances at the top jazz clubs in the greater PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
area. He has shared the bandstand with many notable jazz artists including Warren Vache
Warren Vache
Warren Vaché is a jazz trumpeter, cornetist and flugelhornist born in Rahway, New Jersey. He came from a musical family as his father was a bassist. In 1976 he released his first album...
, Larry McKenna, John Swana, Claude "The Fiddler" Williams, Grant Stewart, Steve Gilmore, and Robert "Bootsie" Barnes
Bootsie Barnes
Robert "Bootsie" Barnes is an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.In the 1950s Barnes played with various musicians in Philadelphia, including Lee Morgan, Philly Joe Jones and Bill Cosby ....
.
Latest work
Pete's latest album, Opportunity Knocks, contains a refreshing blend of jazz standards and original compositions. The ensemble accompanying Pete on the album includes Mike Boone on bass, Byron Landham on drums, as well as several tracks recorded with Philadelphia jazz piano legend Sid Simmons. Karl Stark, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, recently reviewed Pete's latest release, Opportunity Knocks, saying "The mostly trio session with bassist Mike Boone and drummer Byron Landham could stand up to an old Wes MontgomeryWes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
disc. The swing is deep, the intentions old-school. Smyser's tunes go down easily... The set is highly traditional and worthy of wider recognition."
Discography
- Opportunity Knocks
- Pete Smyser - Solo Guitar
- Pete Smyser & Larry McKenna
- The Scene is Clean
- Out of Nowhere
- Hanging by the Chimney