Draft:Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen

CYNTHIA SMITH WITH SMITTY'S KITCHEN

Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen is a combination of bands that was the result of the disbanding of Smitty's Kitchen and the continuation of recording by Cynthia Smith with many musicians and vocalists. The music is an eclectic mix of Irish, Scottish, Folk. Blues, Latin and other genres. It is a recording project of music study, begun in 2009 and is ongoing.

A classical piano student from age 8-16, and a classical piano instructor, she took up the Irish whistle at age 28 and met many Irish musicians in the Philadelphia area, including Michael Copeland, who made Irish whistles and flutes, and was an instructor.

In 2010, Smitty's Kitchen, the band, formed when Cynthia and Steve (a.k.a. Smitty) Smith, Bob Bender and daughter June, Tom Gittelman and Michael Copeland decided they had some solid Irish music to record. So recorded and released album #1, Smitty's Kitchen by Smitty's Kitchen.

In 2014, the album, A Second Season, followed with four of the original members. June Bender and Michael Copeland dropped out. Marian Gittelman and Tom Kingston joined. Both Smitty's Kitchen albums are catalogued in the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin, Ireland.

In 2014, A sub-group of Smitty's Kitchen, The Colonial Hearth Players, released Here We Come A-Wassailing, earning an Independent Music Award nomination.

In 2016, Now We Are Met, Let Mirth Abound by The Colonial Hearth Players was released. Both Colonial Hearth Players albums are a study in authentic music from the Colonial period in America. Cynthia Smith, Michael Copeland and Smitty worked on these projects.

Major life changes came with spinal surgery for Cynthia for chronic scoliosis in 2016, which involved spinal reconstruction with two 12-inch rods and twenty screws implanted. Divorce followed, 2017-2018. A son died in 2019.

In 2020, the album Preserving by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen was released. It included 18 musicians and vocalists (sans Smitty) It was compiled, composed, arranged and published by Cynthia Smith.

2021 saw the release of the album Blue Kettle by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen, a concept album of laments and Blues music over human history. Cynthia Smith, Tom Kingston, Judy Vaughan-Sterling, Bob Goodman and Nate Terry were the musicians again (They were all on the Preserving album.) with Smitty on one track. It was compiled, composed, arranged and published by Cynthia Smith.

2021 also saw the release of Smitty's Kitchen Remastered. 2022 saw the release of the album Focus On The Core by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen with four musicians: Cynthia Smith, Tom Kingston, Judy Vaughan-Sterling and Rich Layton. It was compiled, composed, arranged (except for Oro Se Do Bheath Abhaile, which was arranged by Tom Kingston) and published by Cynthia Smith. Rich Layton created the Latin guitar part for Camino Al Corazon.

2024 Price of the Pie was released. Again...Cynthia Smith, Tom Kingston, Judy Vaughan-Sterling and Rich Layton. Added musicians: Ed Harrison, Todd Lanzalotti, Chris Orazi and Joe Silva. It was compiled, composed, arranged and published by Cynthia Smith

https://www.youtube.com/@cynthiasmithwithsmittyskit4996

https://linkedin.com/in/cynthia-smith-84411037

https://smittyskitchenmusic.com/

All albums were produced by Cynthia Smith, who is the principal songwriter and music arranger.

The label is Smitty's Kitchen Music.

Cynthia Smith plays the piano, keyboard, alto (flute) and soprano whistles, bodhran, djembe, dulcimer and does vocals. Tom Kingston plays bouzouki, guitar, bass guitar, some percussion and does vocals. He sometimes switched with Cynthia on the soprano D whistle on the album, A Second Season. Both were recording together since 2013.

Steve (Smitty) Smith played the bodhran (Irish drum) and bones. Bob Bender played guitar on the Smitty's Kitchen albums. June Bender, Marian Gittelman are fiddlers and Tom Gittelman played concertina, bouzouki and mandolin on the Irish music albums also.

Rich Layton plays guitar and bass guitar, while Tom Kingston stuck to the bouzouki on Focus On The Core.

Nate Terry played guitar, bass guitar, snare drums and triangle on Preserving/Blue Kettle.

Bob Goodman is a vocalist, and Judy Vaughan-Sterling is a vocalist/back-up vocalist. Both assisted with percussion on assorted instruments.

Ed Harrison and Todd Lanzalotti added drums on Price of the Pie. Chris Orazi added bass keyboard on Price of the Pie. Joe Silva added fretless bass on Price of the Pie.

Discography:

2010...Smitty's Kitchen by Smitty's Kitchen (Remastered 2021)

2014...A Second Season by Smitty's Kitchen

2014...Here We Come A-Wassailing by The Colonial Hearth Players

2016...Now We Are met, Let Mirth Abound by The Colonial Hearth Players

2020...Preserving by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen

2021...Blue Kettle by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen

2022...Focus on the Core by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen

2024...Price of the Pie by Cynthia Smith With Smitty's Kitchen