Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith has established himself as a distinctive musical personality. The New York Times has called his playing “eloquent”, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung found him a “richly sensitive interpreter.” Smith especially enjoys bringing works which have fallen into undeserved neglect to the attention of the public, through performances, broadcasts, recordings, and publications.

Among Mr. Smith’s previous recordings, his CD of Griffes (Musical Heritage Society MHS 513043K) has won special praise. American Record Guide called Smith “A persuasive, thoughtful interpreter”, Stereophile wrote that he played with “consummate understanding and sensitivity”, and High Performance Review that he projected Griffes “with complete mastery.”

Smith is author of Piano Discoveries (Ekay Music), and editor of Four Early 20th Century Piano Suties by Black Composers (G. Schirmer), and American Piano Classics (Dover). He writes regularly for Piano Today, and his articles have appeared in Piano and Keyboard and Clavier as well.

His latest release on Brioso is BR155, Piano Barcarolles, From Venice To The Mississippi. To view this release, Click Here.

Click Here to listen to Mr. Smith's CD BR 142 release from Brioso.

“Joseph Smith’s Piano Bench” is a regular feature of National Public Radio’s Performance Today.

“The performer's imagination in choosing these sixteen pieces (BR126) is much to be praised, as is the particularly well-organized listening sequence in which they have been placed...In the past, I have admired Joseph Smith's feeling for both Grainger and Grieg (MHS 5121340) as well as his integral collection of Griffes piano music (MHS 513032). I am pleased to report to having much the same reaction to this fine American pianist's latest album, which is technically on a high level, often brilliant in the more demanding display pieces, and tonally quite lovely. The piano sound is exemplary.”
Igor Kipnis, Piano Magazine

”The Guion is a gem, as is the Coleridge-Taylor. Smith is a fine pianist, and Brioso’s sound leaves little to be desired.”
Justin R. Herman, American Record Guide