Sonelius Smith

Sonelius Larel Smith (born December 17, 1942, Hillhouse, Mississippi) is an American jazz pianist and composer.

Smith's family moved to Memphis in 1948, where he learned to play piano; he took a degree in musical education in 1969 at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical, and Normal College. While a student he played for three years in a small ensemble and also worked with John Stubblefield. He relocated to New York City in 1969 and played with Kenny Dorham, Roy Brooks, Roland Kirk, Robin Kenyatta, Rashied Ali, Warren Smith, Frank Foster, Harold Vick, Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones, Archie Shepp, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, and Lionel Hampton. He joined Stanley Cowell's ensemble around 1973 and also worked with Shamek Farrah and Flight to Sanity in the mid-1970s. Toward the end of the decade he played with J.R. Mitchell, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Warren Smith and Wilber Morris. In the 1980s he worked with Andrew Cyrille and David Murray. He worked as an educator for the New Muse Community Museum (1973-1986) and Harlem School of the Arts (1990s).

References

• Gary W. Kennedy, "Sonelius Smith". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 2nd edition, ed. Barry Kernfeld, 2004.