PLAYING NEW YORK is a film that shows Warren I. Smith turning New York City, itself, into an extensive and expressive percussion instrument. With his gift for percussion and sonority, Smith plays the city’s structures, architecture and objects. This urban sound of the city is complemented by Smith’s orchestration and playing of traditional percussion instruments ranging from marimba to hand drums to drum set, as well as synthesizer. The film’s music touches samba, free, jazz and environmental, improvised and composed. There is flute accompaniment by Andrew Lamb. Smith has worked with many of the legends of music: Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Van Morrison, Leopold Stokowski’s Orchestra of America, the original West Side Story, and been Janis Joplin’s musical director. The director, Charles Martin, has produced and directed a variety of documentary, art, and music films and is a photographer exhibited at MoMA (NY) and other museums and galleries around the world. He has a Ph.D. in Spanish & Portuguese from Yale University. The soundtrack was mixed and fine tuned by Richard Alderson, Grammy Award nominee, of 333 Recording.