Gary Smart is 77 years young, and a musician who can do almost anything. He can compose “modern” ragtime; do improvisations that sound like Karlheinz Stockhausen; improvise a Beatles tune in the style of Bill Evans; and compose a string quartet that sounds like an improvisation. He grew up in Illinois; studied in Canada, the U.S.A., and Europe; and has taught music at the University of Wyoming and the University of North Florida.
Matthew de Lacey Davidson: What was your first ragtime experience?
Gary Smart: When…ten years old, my…family [took]…a vacation to New Orleans. I heard a…concert at Preservation Hall and…[bought]…some printed…traditional jazz tunes…and…ragtime pieces, including the Maple Leaf Rag. I became an enthusiast…[and]…My father was a fan and encouraged my interest.
Tell me about Oscar Peterson.
I was 19 when I went…to Toronto to study with [him]…I learned…by listening, observing, asking questions. [He]…was a force of nature, a commanding musician…an inspiration…but he wasn’t intimately involved in piano lessons. [His]…bassist, Ray Brown, was…a wonderful musician…[who]…showed me… voicings…progressions, traditions.
Please describe Jorge Bolet, a Rachmaninoff specialist. Your articulation and range of dynamics probably owes much to classical study.
Bolet and…Peterson were alike in some ways. Both had overwhelming
