When it comes to music, theres something special about using only your voice, Jeff Smith contends.
In a more traditional setting, with instruments such as a piano, guitar or drums, a vocalist can relax at various points, and let the devices provide the rhythm.
That doesnt happen with an a capella group, Smith notes, where the members vocal cords do all of the heavy lifting.
And thats for 90 minutes, Smith said. Its challenging, but its a lot of fun.
And when the vocalists are in harmony, well, thats when the magic happens.
Smith is the senior member of m-pact, a Los Angeles-based vocal group that will be in Iola to present White Christmas at 7 p.m. Friday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
SMITH started his performance career on a more traditional path. (Or as traditional as one can get playing the bassoon.)
The Oklahoma City native was attending the University of Kansas on a music scholarship more than 20 years ago when he crossed paths with a group of musical vocalists.
He joined them on local gigs, and what began as a side hobby soon morphed into measurebymeasure, a regionally prominent a capella group that performed across the midwest.
That gig lasted about eight years, when Smith decided to head west, to California.
He joined m-pact in 2004.
By then, m-pact had cemented itself on the music scene, earning the LA Music Awards Vocal Group of the Year, the Seattle Music Awards Artist of the Year and the Grand National Champs of the Harmony Sweepstakes competition.
Soon, m-pact was invited to perform alongside pop superstars like Ray Charles, Sheryl Crow, Boyz II Men and Natasha Bedingfield.
Over the last 2 decades, their signature sound has been used in both TV themes and animated Disney feature films, and is enjoyed on jazz and pop radio worldwide.
The retirement of two of m-pacts founding members iin 2016 put Smith at the top of the seniority totem pole the unofficial dad of the band. He now serves as the groups artistic director and business manager as well.
A tenor, Smith also serves as the groups beat box, frequently providing the percussion accompaniment to the ensemble.
Outside of m-pact, Smith is an officer in the Army Reserve as is the director of an Army band in the Los Angeles area. Married with four children, he also is a studio vocalist for film, TV and commercials and works as a recording engineer and producer from his home near Riverside, Calif.
