LaRue Smith, Joel
Joel LaRue Smith is a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator who seamlessly combines jazz, classical, and Afro-Latin music traditions. He has toured the world extensively and performed alongside artists such as Tito Puente, Ellis Marsalis, Kenny Burrell, Mario Bauza, Junior Cook, and Wayne Andre. Smith has served as Cultural Envoy to Central America for the US Embassy and Department of State. He has acted as the Director of the Tufts Jazz Orchestra and jazz activities at Tufts University since 1996. Among many other awards and distinctions, he won the grand prize in composition from the Queens Council for the Arts, is the recipient of 6 Meet the Composer grants. Smith has released 2 albums as bandleader and has a book on jazz improvisation in press. The title of his presentation for this speaker series is “Afro-Caribbean Music: An International Impact on Culture and Aesthetic for Ensembles.”