Today, Smitty’s work has been described as a "comment on invention, firm and adventurous time and technical sufficiency." He has traveled extensively throughout the Orient, Europe, and the continental USA and he has shared the stage with such greats as Sonny Rollins, Hank Jones, Frank Foster and Frank Wess, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, and Milt Jackson. That experience, and banging on pots and pans, was the extent of his playing until he began formal training at the age of three. Whenever his father took a break, he would crawl over and press the foot pedals and attempt to emulate his dad. At six months old, Smitty would climb up on the large lounge chair positioned directly in front of his father's drum set and watch him practice intensely. Marvin "Smitty" Smith says "t was a very natural inclination for me to play drums. Rushen also spends time working with the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, Nat’l Recording Arts and Sciences’ “Grammy In The Schools” program, the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra and other organizations dedicated to establishing music education and mentorship programs for underprivileged youth. Rushen is the ”Ambassador For Artistry In Education” at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and is the Chair of the Popular Music Program at USC’s Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. She is a record producer and an award-winning composer of symphonic music, some of which was commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Among them are such esteemed names as Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Prince, Nancy Wilson, Ndugu Chancler, Carlos Santana, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Ritenour. She has been the first female musical director for many of the entertainment industry’s top award shows, which include the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the NAACP Image Awards and HBO’s “Comic Relief V.”Ĭonsidered one of the world's top jazz pianists, she has performed with many artists. Rushen is also a four-time Grammy nominee who has composed scores for movies and television. During this era, she composed and recorded the hit song, “Forget Me Nots,” which has been frequently covered and sampled by other artists. She is a classically trained pianist who originally found success in the 70’s and 80’s with her signature fusion of jazz, pop and R&B. Patrice Rushen is an award-winning musician and composer who is also one of the most sought after artists in the music industry.
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