Perry Smith

Passionately driven to create new music, guitarist Perry Smith combines his love for jazz with broad influences from rock and folk to create his signature style.
Based in New York City Perry performs and records with the Kathleen Grace Band and is a founding member of the critically acclaimed New West Guitar Group. In addition, he has performed and worked under legendary artists such as Dave Brubeck, Diana Krall, Nancy Wilson, Pat Metheny, Harry Belafonte, and Bobby McFerrin. Perry’s extensive performance resume includes notable venues such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, the World Expo in Japan, Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco and Hoffest in Berlin Germany.
As a composer, Perry was a finalist in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition and won the 2006 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award. His debut album “Stars and Cars” features eight of his original compositions that appeal to both the mind and the senses.
In 2005 he received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Flora L. Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, where he studied guitar with jazz legend Joe Diorio and composition with renown bandleader John Clayton. Currently he is a guitar instructor and master’s degree candidate at New York University.