February 3, 2004

Chuck Smith Featured on Idaho's Jazz Station, Jazz Pianist's Music to Air on Boise State Radio

Jazz pianist and local educator Chuck Smith will be featured on Idaho’s Jazz Station in February. Jeff Fox will host The Music of Chuck Smith at 11 a.m. Feb. 16 and 18.  Smith, a recipient of an Idaho Commission on the Arts grant, has played with jazz greats throughout the world. He will be featured as part of the College of Southern Idaho jazz program’s Jazz Summit Seminar series on Feb. 20. Smith will work individually with pianists from the Chamber Jazz classes at the college during the afternoon, and perform with CSI instructors and music majors in the evening at Java Coffeehouse in Twin Falls. Smith completed his master’s degree at Lehman College in New York and currently teaches music in the Boise School District and at area colleges. He served on the faculty of the Frank DeMeiro Summer Jazz Camps in Edmonds, Wash., and also participated in the Bud Shank Jazz Workshops in Port Townsend, Wash. A member of the International Association of Jazz Educators, he performed at the 1999 IAJE Conference in Anaheim, Calif. His Commission on the Arts grant resulted in the recent publication of his elementary guide to jazz, The First Set. Smith was a featured performer at the 2001 Gene Harris Jazz Festival and has performed with jazz greats including Jon Faddis, Bob Mintzer, Dave Weckl and Arturo Sandoval. He performed at the German American Volksfest in Berlin and the Park City Jazz Festival in Park City, Utah. He has a CD featuring his own group, The New Trio, which is available online at www.thenewtrio.com. Smith’s Feb. 20 performance at Java Coffeehouse in Twin Falls, 228 Blue Lakes Blvd. N, from 7-9 p.m., is free and open to the public. For additional information contact Brent Jensen at 732-6765. Jeff Fox is a regular host on Idaho’s Jazz Station, a part of Boise State Radio, and can be heard on 730 AM in Boise, 1450 AM in Twin Falls and 89.9 FM in McCall. Boise State Radio is a listener-supported service of Boise State University. Additional information is available at http://radio.boisestate.edu. -30- Contact                      Jim East                        Associate General Manager            Voice: 208 947-5659              Fax:  208 344-6631                   jeast@boisestate.edu Media Contact  Kathleen Craven Boise State communications and marketing 208 426-3275 kcraven@boisestate.edu