Joshua Smith is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing and teaching music professionally for over 15 years. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Smith has played in an endless variety of musical situations and styles... Joshua began playing saxophone professionally in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 14, and soon found himself gigging with many of that area's best and most creative jazz musicians (such as Greg Bandy, Scotty Davis, and Carmen Castaldi)... After studying jazz and playing gigs in Cleveland through his high school years, Joshua was awarded the highest available skill-based scholarship available at that time for a jazz saxophonist, from The Manhattan School of Music, where he attended briefly. While still enrolled at MSM, Joshua created and began heading out on the road with his own critically acclaimed avant jazz trio, birth (w/Joe Tomino on drums, Jeremy Bleich on bass). This group became extremely active from 1998 to 2005. During this time, Joshua lived on and off in NYC and California, as well as his hometown of Cleveland, where he produced a long running series of avant-garde jazz concerts which featured some of the finest players in the realm of creative improvised music (from saxophone legend Steve Lacy to abstract electro-acoustic pioneers P.S.I.). Joshua has consistently kept a roster of music students, taught in-home and studio lessons, and spent several years as the saxophone teacher at Motter's Music in Lyndhurst, Ohio, a large music store and teaching complex that served several school districts with vibrant band programs. (In addition to this, Joshua taught at other music stores and Music Education services such as Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland, and Guliano's Music Center in Stamford, CT). "I have been studying with Joshua Smith for over a year and I believe that his inspiration has been the reason why I have decided to make music the most important part of my life and even desire to make a career out of it... Since studying with Josh I have grown musically from a very base level player to a player who can play with confidence." - Aaron Shaikh (NYC Saxophonist) "Joshua Smith plays saxophone on a world-class level. An outstanding technician, he articulates very clearly, and his improvisations are consistently rich in content." -Harvey Pekar, Jazziz Magazine
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