Born in Manhattan in 1955; Paul Smadbeck is an American marimba player and composer. In New York he learned percussion and drum set while still at school; at Ithaca College he earned the Bachelor and Master of Music in percussion. Inspired by the marimba virtuosos Leigh Howard Stevens and Gordon Stout, he came to the fore as a marimba soloist from the late 1970s, gave recitals across the United States and began to compose for his instrument. Particularly well known are his “Rhythm Song” of 1984, a minimalist piece combining elements of African and Latin American music, gamelan and jazz fusion, and his three etudes for marimba; his “Fernando’s Waltz” was premiered in 2010 at the Marimba 2010 festival at the University of Minnesota. On the Cybele album Rolf Hildebrand: Marimba (1995) he is represented with “Etude No. 2”, which demands a brilliant chain of four-mallet chords from the player.
Paul Smadbeck
Composer
