Jazz Articles about Wadada Leo Smith

About Wadada Leo Smith

Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: Constellations and Hemispheres

Read "Constellations and Hemispheres" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
September 18, 2026

The listener is easily startled by Wadada Leo Smith. The man has an aura about him that emanates from some other place, some other time, when the rule of law was set in stone. A time not too long ago when collective aspiration held us all enthralled. And the man who carried that stone is none other than the trumpeter himself. Smith's presence also has a mythical essence that, in and of itself, is hardly breaking news. But ...

Album Review

Schanzer/Speach with Guests: Live in Brooklyn 1992-2002

Read "Live in Brooklyn 1992-2002" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
September 3, 2026

Recorded between 1992 and 2002 at Brooklyn landmarks like the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, Live in Brooklyn 1992--2002 serves as a crucial historical document of a fertile, pre-gentrification avant-garde movement. The sprawling two-CD retrospective captures guitarist Jeffrey Schanzer and pianist Bernadette Speach acting as host-collaborators, juxtaposing intimate duo work with expansive ensemble explorations alongside an extraordinary lineup of improvisational icons. Recorded in June 1992, “Rain Flowers, Vertical Spears and Diamond Sunrays" is a 24-minute centerpiece featuring guest visionary ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman and Wadada Leo Smith: Duologues 5

Read "Duologues 5" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
March 9, 2026

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman thrives in the company of like-minded artists. The number of superb duo releases in his prolific body of work is proof of that. On the fifth volume of the Duologues series, he has found a uniquely synergistic match in the trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith. Smith, a founding member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), much like Perelman, is an ingenious improviser. The pair crafts seven provocative pieces that together make ...

Album Review

Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith & Marcus Gilmore: Murasaki

Read "Murasaki" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero

by Vincenzo Roggero
March 2, 2026

Jakob Bro è un chitarrista danese con ormai venti album da leader alle spalle, vanta frequentazioni eccellenti--Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Bley, Paul Motian per citarne alcuni--e anche in quest'ultimo lavoro per la sua etichetta Loveland la compagnia è di quelle che contano. Marcus Gilmore è batterista ormai consacrato ai massimi livelli e Wadada Leo Smith è una leggenda della musica afroamericana. I tre si danno appuntamento alla Power Station di New York l'undici gennaio del 2025 e ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman and Wadada Leo Smith: Duologues 5

Read "Duologues 5" reviewed by Don Phipps

by Don Phipps
January 20, 2026

In the decade of the 2020s, the prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman has recorded several improvised duet recordings with such jazz luminaries as trumpeter Nate Wooley, trombonist Ray Anderson, drummer/pianist Tyshawn Sorey, fellow tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Tom Rainey, and pianist Matthew Shipp. Even more incredible is that over the same timeframe, he has done several group improv recordings--for example, a trio with bassist Barry Guy and drummer Ramón López, a quartet with saxophonist Chad Fowler, bassist Reggie Workman, ...

Live Review

Jazzfest Berlin 2025

by Giuseppe Segala
November 10, 2025

Jazzfest Berlin 2025 Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Quasimodo Jazz Club, A-Train Jazz Club, Chiesa monumentale Kaiser Wilhelm Berlino 30 ottobre--2 novembre 2025 Già nella prima serata di questa sessantaduesima edizione, il Jazzfest Berlin calava senza indugi una delle sue carte vincenti, con Wadada Leo Smith e Vijay Iyer sul grande palcoscenico, la Große Bühne della prestigiosa Haus der Berliner Festspiele. Il silenzio sospeso dell'ascolto, nella sala che contiene circa mille spettatori, dava la misura ...

Radio & Podcasts

Wadada Leo Smith, Jakob Bro, Henry Threadgill, Gregg Belisle-Chi & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 8, 2025

Here is a playlist highlighting recent releases by some of the most adventurous players of our time, with a special focus on two pillars of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians--as the AACM marks its 60th anniversary--Wadada Leo Smith and Henry Threadgill.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Gregg Belisle-Chi “Sorry" Slow Crawl: Performing the of Tim Berne (Intakt) 0:16 Host talks 3:57 Henry Threadgill “B" Listen ...