User:Antoinesmithjazz

Antoine Christopher Smith was born on August 1, 1992 in Euclid, Ohio to the parents of Robert L. Smith, III and Dr. Carolyn D. Fuentes (Miles). As a native Clevelander, Antoine is a drummer and a ”dabbling” keyboardist that composes and plays mainly, contemporary jazz. In addition, he composes other genres as well. He comes from a wide range of family history in music that once indulged very heavily in local bands as musicians, singers, dancers, composers, managers, and teachers.

After studying the drums at the age of 11 years old to his recent age of 15 years old under his teachers; Mr. Janowitz (a graduate of Cleveland State University) and Mr. Puin (a graduate of Berkley College), he composed and dedicated his song, Mr. Puin on his first CD, “TWAN” released, Oct. 2, 2007. Antoine has been playing the “quads” in the marching band, the “snare” and “bass drum” in the stage band and orchestra, and the “drum-set” and “congas” in the jazz band at his high school.

His history of the piano/keyboards comes from once “dabbling” with his late grandfather, Rev. Bennie L. Miles that was a singer, and played the rhyme guitar, organ, and piano in his church, Jesus Christ Pentecostal Cathedral (church once owned by his cousins, the Chapman family). The story is told that before his grandfather passed in the year of 1998, at the age of 5 years old, Antoine was delivered through the mail a keyboard a day after his grandfather’s burial. But, not knowing at a very young age of what to expect, he gave up his keyboard to his brother, Rick to learn to play. As the years past, Antoine felt the need to pick up the keyboard at the age of 14 years old to “dabble” his way into composing his very own songs.

On February 28, 2008, Antoine Christopher Smith, at the age of 15 years old was signed with TURN ON RECORDS, Larry A. Russell “Pro Musica,” CEO of Eroica Classical Recordings, Inc. He considers this contract to be his beginning of learning the world of music and its digital vs. local sales and his audience.

His desire is to enter into a music college with the hopes of progressing in his studies of drumming, keyboarding, compositions, multi-media, and production.