Guitarist, writer, producer, recording artist, touring musician, Professor, collaborator, world traveler and musical ambassador. These are only a few of the roles that Richard Smith plays. Besides recording a series of hit smooth jazz albums and mentoring other artists in the process, he is on the faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music and was the Chair of the Jazz Guitar department before stepping down to pursue other interests. He has been spending a lot of time overseas teaching and playing all types of music and is involved in the new Pop Music Performance degree program at USC. The first of its kind, it will teach students who want to pursue careers in popular music both the technical and business sides of being a professional musician. In the midst of this all he has put together a group of L.A.'s finest musicians and released a CD. LA Chillharmonic, which we reviewed in October, is one of 2008's best. He stepped out of perpetual motion to give us an update on what he's been doing since we spoke several years ago.

SV: The last time I saw you live you were working on a solo album. How did it evolve into a super-group project?
RS: We were thinking of the touring entity of the project and that it would be great to figure out how to get some of the 'Musical MASS' of the recording sound to actually play the concerts too.

SV:  When you are working with a group of high-demand musicians who do a lot of recording and touring how do you co-ordinate the project (get them together, share arrangements so they can get the parts done?
 RS: It is actually quite an undertaking - lots of organization and I suppose, diplomacy. Actually, every single guy is a professional and a gentleman and a real pleasure to work alongside, and I think we are all having a ball.

SV: Are you touring this band? How does that work. Is it possible to get out and do live gigs in the current economic and industry climate.
RS: Yes we tour! The Berks Festival, The Catalina Jazz trax Festival and a few theaters already - operators are standing by at Central Entertainment Services (609-522-0173) - seriously!

SV: The first 25 callers get a free encore song of their choice. Right? You've had albums out on quite a few different labels. Some artists have taken the whole matter into their own hands so they can control content and distribution. Why did you decide to get a label deal for this CD?
RS: Artistry Music Group/Mack Avenue are a great label, with exceptional individuals, some of whom I have known my entire career. They are developing an international presence and actually it is a really a whole LOT of work to release ones own disc. With all of my projects and interests, the label concept works best for me. I am very happy to be where I am.

SV: When you do an album that is too interesting for airplay and promotional budgets are not what they were what are you doing to make sure your potential fans know this album is out there?
RS: Lots of Internet and lots of gigs!

SV: Do you care that people may cherry-pick and buy specific songs on the download sites instead of the whole thing?
RS: Nope! Different songs resonate with different people, I don't have many albums that I enjoy in their entirety, and, I am not in one place for that long of time!

SV: You play all types of music and you teach your students that they need to not be genre bound, do you think we, both listeners and musicians, are too rigid in our focus on "types" of When actually music played well and with a lot of heart can transcend type and connect with an audience?
RS: A professional musician usually needs to play a variety of styles to survive but I also am very serious about a student finding their own 'artistic signature' - I teach a whole course in finding one's own voice. I don't look at the two as being mutually exclusive - being able to play a lot of styles isn't just good sense, it is good art! I am very proud of the students from my program that in recent years have played with a wide range of artists including Snoop Dog, Christina Aguilera, Elton John, Mark Anthony, Michael Buble, The Manhattan Transfer, The L.A. Philharmonic, Ricky Lawson, B.T, George Duke, Robin Thicke, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, , Brian McKnight, LeAnn Rimes., Jennifer Lope, Bonnie Raitt and more.
SV: Were these songs pretty much laid out when the other musicians were brought in or did the writing process happen as more contributors were brought in, did they evolve?
RS: I mapped out my originals mostly, then brought Brian Bromberg in to give his input and suggestions over this and that The covers we brainstormed together. Jeff Carruthers came up with some good  ideas as well.

SV: There is a good amount of soloing on this album, by you and some of the other musicians, but the songs remain really tight and have a lot of forward momentum. How do you keep that balance.
RS: There was a backlash against soloing on "smooth jazz" recordings because of the feeling that the audience would not "get" improvisation. How do you sneak it in there without getting excessive? Oh my god - people not 'getting' Improvisation? Who are these people? Honestly, once a song gets going, it takes over and has a life of it's own. I just let the song play out and think of certain musicians I know and like, and who I would like to have on there - like Eric Marienthal, Greg Adams, or Patrice Rushen or Gregg Karukas or Brian. I suppose in made-to-order editing we can mix a lot of that out for radio but I record the exactly the way I feel it for the album cuts.
SV:  The NY/LA thing, while not really being polarized as two totally different sounds has pretty much fallen into the East Coast musicians being grittier and using more rock and funk influences and the LA crew having a more high-gloss, subdued and Urban Adult Contemporary. The Chillharmonic project isn't as gritty as, say, Loeb's Metro project, but it's not as glossy and subdued as a radio-driven smooth jazz project. Was the "LA" thing more a reference to location or sound?
RS:  Both. And yes, it isn't as commercial as a lot of what is out there, and I suppose not as gritty as well. I still like the glossy, finished sound, it is just who I am, but crank up the disk and listen, because there is some serious grit going on despite the polish!

SV: A lot of these musicians, including you, were around before the focus shifted to relaxation and mood and the jazz and rock influences were smoothed out of the mix. This approach seemed to work for a while in the late 90s but with even the high end of the target audience composed of people who grew up with rock and funk do you think it is still viable?
RS: I remember that, wow, yes things were really getting smoothed out in those days. I think the listeners are less picky than we think, there is a lot more crossover going on, and some smoothies are getting very funky indeed, so, I think it is all coming around, as music always does. It is a series of reactions and departures and returns to what came before and that crosses genres and is thousands of years old!

SV: You're teaching, doing master classes, recording, doing live gigs, working with different groups of musicians on both sides of the ocean? How do you do all of this, how do you stay focused and organized?
RS: I feel like Forrest Gump most of the time, if that makes sense. Things just come together, and I chase them all hard I guess. I just like variety very much . Teaching is the highest and hardest calling, and I feel that with seven professors and academics in my close family, that passion is at the DNA level, and that makes me feel good. It's a family business sort of thing. My groups in Europe are really different than the ones here, and these folks are becoming such good friends and really influencing what I create. And oh my gosh, to make music in the 'neighborhood' I am in here in L.A., you have to know that there aren't many higher highs than that. I love every note I get to teach, play or write, and I feel blessed in this life.

SV: After 9/11 there was a conscious shift, especially in the radio community, toward the comfort of nostalgia and familiarity. This made it hard for new or original music to gain exposure. As we move into a period that is more defined by hope and moving forward will music reflect that and on that theme should musicians be leaders or followers. Do the "professionals" in various facets of the industry underestimate the audience?
RS: I don't mean to simplify the question, but there is certainly room for both. I teach is a conservatory that by it's own definition teaches that what has come before is valuable, but not at the expense of embracing new ideas and experimentation. The healthiest system is one that is both market and art driven. There are certainly a lot of teachers who haven't had to deal with humbling experience of actually making a living with their music. I think that process, which involves compromise, has led to some of the most interesting and 'musical' parameters of music making. It certainly has been a part of great composing since Bach wrote a cantata a week for church services and Mozart wrote waltzes for his patron's parties. The extent that we are willing to compromise, or listen to our various 'patrons' can often determine our own success and happiness. It is a real tango for sure!

SV: When we did the last SmoothViews interview you were the department chair in the Studio/Jazz Guitar department at USC. You "retired" but are now back in a temporary situation. Why did you decide to step back?
RS: Frank Potenza, who is a superb guitarist and has been at USC Thornton for 15 years, went on sabbatical for a semester and I stepped back in to cover his responsibilities (which are broad and many). Us Profs get 6 months off, called sabbatical leave, every 7 years for 'enrichment.'

SV:  What is your role in the program since you stepped down?
RS: I serve on a few committees and am part of the exciting new popular music program, where we will be offering a degree in pop music performance) And I teach the same array of classes I have taught for years - functional Skills for studio/jazz guitar players, guitar ensembles. Running the whole program ran it's own course and I wasn't finding it as rewarding as the kinds of things I wanted to get involved with, such as cultivating my scene abroad and working on the popular music program.

SV: We talked last time about academic jazz programs functioning too much like the "jazz police" and venerating the archival side of the music while frowning upon the commercial side. Do you think there is more open-mindedness now than there was a few years ago?
RS: Not much.

SV: I guess that says it all in very few words, but that's what I've noticed about the academic jazz program where I live too. You have been spending a lot of time overseas working with different musicians. Tell us about some of those projects? What are the differences in the music scene overseas from the US, both on the academic and performing/commercial side, especially with jazz and contemporary/smooth jazz?
RS:  It is more of a fusion scene there with lots more stretching and variety. There are a lot of smaller clubs and theaters, as well as some festivals. It is small, but seems to be catching on. There are pop and jazz academies and conservatories in many towns and I have a lot of really good alliances from London to Northern Holland to Sicily. I have a band of some of the best Dutch fusion cats, and I am a member of a guitar trio with two of the top guitarists in Sicily and Greece. I also teach the first study abroad program for the USC Thornton school. It's Popular Music performance - a Global perspective, and it is a blast. In Summer I take about 10 talented students to London where they collaborate with a group of students from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London. Last summer I witnessed some of the most incredible singer/songwriter collaboration I have ever seen. It was absolutely thrilling to be a part of that.

SV: It's thrilling to see at least some forward thinking people in the academic world encouraging that too, maybe the success of these programs will help spread the word.

Visit LA Chillharmonic on MySpace to hear the music and learn more about the band.

Read about USC's Pop Music Performance Degree program: