Mark Smith has been playing the  piano since grade school lessons, growing up in West Hartford, CT.  In his twenties, Mark played keyboards in a variety of bands, including rock groups, horn bands, and wedding bands.  While studying Mathematics at the University of Hartford (CT) in the late 70s, Mark was a DJ on the college’s WWUH FM radio station, hosting the “Morning Jazz” program and spinning jazz records.  This experience had a huge impact, as his “ears were opened” to all of the incredible “sounds of Jazz”, and he was hooked.

Music had always been a passion, but for many years, while working full time and helping to raise his three children, playing piano was more of a hobby.  After losing his first wife to cancer, and with his children grown, Mark turned more of his time to studying and playing the piano.  Mostly self-taught, he enrolled in a number of online classes at Berklee College of Music, and studied with Gary Burton and others.  He began playing more jazz and building a repertoire.

In 2017, Mark remarried and moved to Marlton, NJ.  There he found a vibrant music scene, and joined the band ‘Jean Therapy’, with PA’s own Jean Lenke.  In the summer of 2020, with the pandemic in full swing Mark began rehearsing with his new Jazz Quartet out on his back patio, six feet separated and wearing masks.  This led Mark to ‘make the move’ to promoting and booking his own band, playing “classic jazz” tunes in venues around NJ, PA and DE.