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Wadada Leo Smith, John Lindberg: Celestial Weather
by Alberto Bazzurro
Entrambi colonne dell'avanguardia jazzistica, sia pure con tempi, ruoli e modalità differenti, Wadada Leo Smith e John Lindberg dialogano in questo notevole album, la cui incisione risale al giugno 2012, dando da subito l'impressione di intendersi ottimamente. La suite che apre il disco (e che si deve al trombettista, come del resto la successiva, laddove la terza e ultima è opera di Lindberg) decolla con una bella vivacità, pur nell'ovvia economia di mezzi (tromba e basso puri, ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith, fenomenologia di un maestro
by Luca Canini
Non tutti i maestri sono uguali. C'è chi sceglie di farsi da parte, riducendo al minimo gli sconfinamenti, gli azzardi, i contatti con situazioni potenzialmente rischiose. E c'è chi invece si ostina a cercare, a condividere; tenendo fede a quella che del jazz è la suprema vocazione: la fisiologica tendenza a includere, in un continuo sovrapporsi e intrecciarsi di linguaggi, esperienze, generazioni. Wadada Leo Smith, trombettista, classe '41, appartiene di diritto a questa seconda categoria. Dall'alto di ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith: Red Hill
by John Sharpe
A first time meeting in the studio pitches avant-garde trumpet master Wadada Leo Smith against a crew of improvisers who cover diverse bases. All three of Smith's collaborators work together in Slobber Pup, what you might term a thinking man's noise band, as well as overlapping in a range of other outfits including Metallic Taste of Blood and Spanish Donkey. Best known in jazz circles will be Joe Morris, here on double bass, and keyboardist Jamie Saft who features in ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith/ Hardedge: The Nile
by Dan McClenaghan
Avant-garde trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith has crafted epic sets, like the four disc Ten Freedom Summers (Cunieform Records, 2012), inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. And then there are the near-epics: 2014's The Great Lakes Suite (TUM Records, 2014), a two disc celebration of North America's great waterway. And sometimes he offers up, in contrast, fairly modest records, like Organic Resonance, a live one disc duet set with reed man Anthony Braxton. And now we have a seemingly modest, but ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith: The Great Lakes Suites
by Hrayr Attarian
The intrepid composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's creative energy continues unabated after a career spanning over four decades. His artistry has crystalized and matured without losing its progressive edge and The Great Lakes Suites is the fruit of this sophisticated ingenuity. For these six imaginative pieces, inspired by the bodies of water of the title, Smith has brought together three of the most original improvisers in a perfect and sublime balance of bold spontaneity and intuitive discipline. ...
Continue ReadingRobert Bush Best of 2014
by Robert Bush
2014 proved a banner year for jazz recordings. Still, two of my favorite discs this year came in the form of previously unreleased material--the Jarrett Trio and Coltrane Quintet cannot be overlooked, in my opinion. Wadada Leo Smith The Great Lakes Suites (Tum Records) Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian Hamburg '72 (ECM) John Coltrane Offering Live at Temple University ...
Continue ReadingJazztopad 2014, Three World Premieres
by Ian Patterson
Jazztopad Wroclaw, Poland November 13-15, 2014 Jazztopad enters its second decade with confident stride. The festival has come a long way in the first ten years, evolving, experimenting and growing as any good festival should. In 2014, Jazztopad stands as an internationally renowned festival with a clearly defined ethos, one that combines a strong respect for the traditions and roots of the music with a progressive vision that provides a platform for the contemporary and innovative. ...
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