Music
Press
Anthony Smith is one of the more gifted young musicians I have come across. He is a formidable pianist, a first-rate songwriter/composer and has a great production sensibility. He will go very far on whatever he decides is his musical path. - jazz pianist, composer, educator, 3-time Grammy® nominee
“Anthony is just a great jazz pianist.” - excerpt from interview in State of Mind
Anthony Smith has delivered some of the best times we have ever had here at the Knotty Pine. When Trunk Fulla Funk showed up here last summer and I saw who was in the band…. All I knew is that it was going to be funky…When I look back and visualize the best times and crowds we have had here at the Knotty Pine, I see Anthony Smith behind his organ with a big grin on his face and magic coming through his fingers. - Victor, Idaho
At times, Smith’s piano sounds very much like Bruce Hornsby and at other times he lays on the heavy Hammond B3 funk…
...the real substance of the CD (Bogo) unfolds with the Smith-penned “Demons,” which starts out sounding like something Alan Parson’s Project recorded in the 80’s, then halfway through becomes the rock fusion of the Dixie Dregs. The song is complex with ever-changing tempos throughout, progressive in nature yet sprinkled with jazz fusion and funk. - Jambase
Keyboardist Anthony Smith shakes your senses back to earth with his straight-up, rocking style. Smith has been blazing funk trails across the country, and (is) a very active songwriter. - DJ/Journalist
“Anthony Smith and his band seem to be omnipresent. They play over 200 shows a year throughout the U.S., they record regularly and their style ranges from rock anthems to boogaloo break beats, from melodic dance grooves to bluegrass barn burners. They crisscross this great country…at (Anthony Smith’s) shows you can expect to hear something like the organic grooves of Medeski, Martin and Wood, the sophisticated, classic jazz/funk of Herbie Hancock and Weather Report, with the intricate off-beat compositional approaches of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa, riding on the vibe and energy of a modern day jamband.” - Crested Butte News
A consummate musician, composer and producer, Anthony Smith’s reputation among fellow musicians precedes him. He repeatedly sets the bar for artists across the board. - Road Manager, Soulive
“Anthony Smith is one of the finest keyboard players on the jazz, funk and jam scene today. Great tones, great chords, great tunes, and always a cool hat!”
- international guitar virtuoso (Garaj Mahal, Fareed Haque Group)
Discography
"Life As We Know It", out April 2008 on Terrestrial Records
Photos
Bio
Southern California-based keyboardist/songwriter/bandleader Anthony Smith has played in just about every type of band imaginable, and has performed and recorded with a wide array of noteworthy artists from numerous genres.
After leading Global Funk Council, which played well over a thousand shows coast to coast, between 2001 and 2005, he joined forces with saxophone legend Karl Denson in forming the acclaimed Karl Denson Trio (KD3), which has toured the U.S. extensively and recorded the album, Lunar Orbit.
Smith steps into the spotlight once again with ANTHONY SMITH’S TRUNK FULLA FUNK, a powerful, six-piece ensemble drawing upon numerous funk/rock/soul influences, with all the rock and jam-oriented improvisation you might expect. Trunk Fulla Funk, the product of Smith's experience, imagination, and talent as a charismatic band leader, is gaining momentum with a reputation for high-energy, hard-grooving shows. The group attracts both serious listeners and those simply looking for a freak-out, funk dance party.
In April of 2008, ASTFF’s first studio album, Life As We Know It, an exciting collection of original songs, will be released and distributed by Terrestrial Records.
The band includes: Bassist Matt Schumacher (Signal Path, On The One). Walt Williams (San Diego soul singer extraordinaire). Guitarist Aaron Bleiweiss (On The One). Igmar Thomas (New York trumpet virtuoso). Drummer Jake Najor (KD3, Weapon Of Choice).
“Anthony Smith is one of the more gifted young musicians I have come across. He is a formidable pianist, a first-rate songwriter/composer and has a great production sensibility. He will go very far on whatever he decides is his musical path.”
-Fred Hersch, world renowned jazz pianist, composer, educator, 3-time Grammy® nominee
“Anthony is just a great jazz pianist.”
-Karl Denson
(excerpt from interview in State of Mind)
“Anthony Smith is one of the finest keyboard players on the jazz, funk and jam scene today. Great tones, great chords, great tunes, and always a cool hat!”
-Fareed Haque, international guitar virtuoso (Garaj Mahal, Fareed Haque Group)
“Anthony Smith has delivered some of the best times we have ever had here at the Knotty Pine. When Trunk Fulla Funk showed up here last summer and I saw who was in the band…. All I knew is that it was going to be funky...When I look back and visualize the best times and crowds we have had here at the Knotty Pine, I see Anthony Smith behind his organ with a big grin on his face and magic coming through his fingers.”
-Brice Nelson, owner of the Knotty Pine (Victor, Idaho)
“When I looked up to watch the band I was looking for the bass player laying down the smooth grooves, I noticed that the left hand of keyboard player was holding these grooves together and the right hand of that same guy was playing the sickest keyboard I have ever heard. I was truly blown away watching a player of this caliber”
-Ted Wigler, Talent buyer of Winston’s (San Diego)
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