Native to the Richmond area, Justin Smith has been known to wear various musical hats with various bands and projects. He performs most of the time with his Jazz combo, which is inconspicuously named the J. Smith Trio. The trio consists of Guitar, Bass, and Drums and they have been playing together for the better part of a decade. They present a classic bebop sound with a modern penchant for using interesting chord voicings and a range of melodic vocabulary which spans from the classic swing dialect to the more abstract all interval approach. Dark colors emanate from Drummer C.J. Wolfe’s cymbal work which complements Bassist Brian Cruse’s well crafted Bass Lines. The three musicians work in tandem to create unique and inventive art. The J. Smith Trio has performed at many different venues and for various types of occasions including wine tastings, night clubs, restaurants, birthdays, corporate events, all kinds of parties in general, as well as wedding receptions and cocktail events. They have even been asked to play for wedding processionals.
Justin Smith also performs with a few other bands too. Bossa Brava is his Brazilian Jazz Quartet which consists of vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. An interesting detail about this band is that it is the same members of the jazz trio plus the singer Bernedette Stephens. Stephens has a full sultry voice and excellent command over the Portuguese language. All members also play various percussion instruments which is definitely a key part of this style. Samba, Bossa Nova, Afro-Cuban, and even Fado music are just some of the genres Bossa Brava works with. With some modern compositions as well as Original music, Bossa Brava is a fun and exciting band that knows how to create drama with music and can “get down” on some funky Brazilian rhythms.
The Guitarist’s other projects are his solo jazz and acoustic arrangements that are a beautiful complement to any wedding or dinner party or just any occasion where background music is needed but a full band is too much. He also performs solo processional music for weddings that call for a similar ambiance.
And yet another project is an Armenian Folk quintet that uses a jazzy approach to improvising with folk tunes from that side of the world. It is lead by the talented Oudist, Raffi Bandazian and also has Flugelhorn, Bass, Guitar, and Drums. This band, having more of an exotic sound, works with folk and world music festivals as well as traditional or modern Armenian weddings.
Guitarist Justin Smith grew up playing rock music as a kid but soon discovered a deep passion for a music that swings. He studied with Professional Jazz Guitarist, Mike Ess, for a year before attending the VCU Music school and went on to continue his studies with Ess for over 6 more years off and on learning the finer points of archtop Jazz guitar. During his time in the Jazz department at VCU, Justin studied advanced lessons with the brilliant Doug Richards on composition, arrangement, and orchestration of not just Jazz but Classical music too. In fact, this is where his studies with other styles such as classical and world music really made in imprint on his musical foot print and it is evident in the projects and music he has worked with. Other brilliant minds that he crossed paths with are Saxophonist Skip Gailes, Classical Guitarist Corey Blake, and Orchestral Director Daniel Myssyk.
In addition to his music, Justin Smith also has been teaching private lessons to students of all ages and skill for almost a decade in various local stores as well as personal in-home lessons. He currently is teaching out of the local store Guitar Works in Carytown and is accepting new students to his studio. If interested in lessons or just more details contact Justin at (804) 355-3521.