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| Call Planet Tom at 615.969.8298 for booking or questions about air play. |
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Tom Smith is well known
for his unique and extraordinary talent in playing guitar and banjo. The
Nashville Tennessean calls him an "Acoustic Guitar Virtuoso" while the
Nashville City Paper says, "One of the nation's premier guitarists...
'Juliet's Window'... a masterpiece." And in Nashville, the home of some of
the best players in the world, that's saying something.
Ben Cole of GHS Strings said that Smith's style is "Experimental Acoustic." That sounds about right. An April, 2007 review in the German, "Akustik Gitarre" read (in a rough translation), "Full and rich is his playing, powerful in sound, with open chords and open strings, counterpoints set into play. His finger style keeping a great tempo going and are colored by his slides. In his compositions, he makes use of his rich experiences with Blues, Folk, Country and Jazz.” |
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It's been said that Smith could
be referred to as a mixture of Kaki King, Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke but
that would be too limiting. His early influences were Thelonius Monk,
Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and Bob Dylan.
Since he began playing in 1966, Tom has performed in 30 states and three countries. His musical career has taken him from coffee houses in North Carolina and bars in San Francisco to concert halls and festival audiences of 10,000. He has done PBS shows and has shared the stage with Tuck and Patti, Michael Hedges, John Hammond, Robben Ford, John Fahey, Jesse Winchester, Todd Phillips, Livingston Taylor, Melanie, David Pomeroy, Reckless Johnny Wales, Odetta, Robin Ford and Dave Van Ronk. In his book, "American Guitar," the Italian 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 that a reflection about life, and the conceptual transcription of it into music..." Tom tends to call it "Contemporary Guitar." It could as easily be called "Neo-Impressionism," "Real Interesting," or just plain "Good Guitar Playing" judging from comments made by members of his audiences. As far as this writer is concerned, it's just from Planet Tom and that's the only category that's universal enough for his music. |
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Tom Smith's performances take his audiences on a creative tour through the world of their own imaginations. From dancing leprechauns and rose-scented evenings in Spain, to images perhaps darker and more mysterious, Tom uses his guitar, banjo and anecdotes to paint musical pictures for his listeners' enjoyment. Tom has a style all his own. This style shows the influences of Jazz, Country, Classical, Blues as well as other contemporary guitarists, while existing clearly in a universe unique to itself. | |
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Smith has released 5 records, "Still Life," (available only on vinyl), "Musical Pictures," "Little Dog," "On Any Given Night," and his newest release, "Juliet's Window," out on Lone Oak Records. To listen and buy, click here or use the "listen" link below.
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