Jazz Articles about Wadada Leo Smith

About Wadada Leo Smith

Radio & Podcasts

Wadada Leo Smith, Greg Spero and Berklee Indian ensemble

by Len Davis
June 11, 2023

Wadada Leo Smith with his latest Fire Illuminations, the latest from guitarist Cory Wong, and pianist Greg Spero. UK band Loam from Featherbrained, Japanese band Jizue, and Drift Lab featuring guitarist Matteo Mancusco. The Berklee Indian Ensemble from Shuruaat. Plus MAMOGI with Mohini Dey and Austrian band EKKO 3 featuring guitarist Gerald Gradwohl.Playlist Echoes Of Zoo “Lizard Dance" from Speech Of Species (W.E.R.F Records) 00:00 Wadada Leo Smith “Muhammad Ali and George Forman Rumble in Zaire Africa" from ...

Radio & Podcasts

Tony Williams, Miles Electric Band & Wadada Leo Smith

by Joe Dimino
May 7, 2023

We begin the 801st Episode of Neon Jazz with the legendary trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith joined by his Orange Wave Electric honor the late, great Tony Williams. We follow that opener with a song from the early '70s Life Time. We also get some hip, new jazz infused music from Girls in Airports, Emily Braden and Miles Electric Band. We also hear some classic old school jazz from Clyde McCoy, Gary Peacock and Billie Holiday. Finally, we say goodbye to ...

Radio & Podcasts

Wadada Leo Smith, Aruan Ortiz & Neill Duncan

by Maurice Hogue
April 20, 2023

I know that the official International Jazz Day is April 30th, but around the One Man's Jazz HQ, pretty much every show features international artists. This episode is no exception with music from artists representing 14 different countries over the 23 tracks. Heading the list is the unstoppable Wadada Leo Smith with a new band called Orange Wave Electric. The last word in the name is the clue as to the direction Smith takes on Fire Illuminations. Pianist Aruan Ortiz ...

Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: Fire Illuminations

Read "Fire Illuminations" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
March 31, 2023

Eighty-one year old trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith comes out flaring like Bitches Brew era Miles Davis, as Fire Illuminations jumps the funk rock from the break of the muscular conflagration “Ntozake." And the grunge jazz clips along as guitarists Nels Cline, Brandon Ross, and Lamar Smith vie, bite, sting, and quarrel over an insistent bass drum power-groove courtesy of bassists Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs, percussionist Mauro Refosco, drummer Pheeroan aKlaff, and the deep space electronics of Hardedge.

Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: Fire Illuminations

Read "Fire Illuminations" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
March 12, 2023

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith fronts lots of different bands and puts out lots of albums. After a busy period when he released five boxed sets, totaling 27 CDs, here he debuts his new all-star ensemble Orange Wave Electric, with the download-only offering, Fire Illuminations. As the band name implies, the sound is electric, featuring three electric guitarists, two electric bassists and an electronicist, joining the leader's horn, percussionist Mauro Refosco and drummer Pheeroan aKLaff. For comparison's sake--and using ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii: Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams

Read "Hyaku: One Hundred Dreams" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
December 22, 2022

Country music artist Merle Haggard (1937 -2016) released 66 studio albums in his day, along with five instrumental recordings and several live and compilation discs. When asked in a late-career interview if his upcoming album was a good one, he answered (paraphrasing). “I don't know. I've made so many I don't know if the next one's any good or not." He was probably pulling the interviewer's leg. It is hard to imagine an artist presenting a new work ...

Radio & Podcasts

Who's Your Wadaddy?

by Patrick Burnette
November 10, 2022

From time to time the bastards do a show devoted to one artist, and this time, happenstance leads us to feted and prolific “out" trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith. His career stretches back to the seventies and he's worked with a murderer's row of avant-garde musicians, but we're focusing on more recent work with him as a leader. Strap yourselves in for a challenging ride but don't worry—pop matters brings things firmly back to earth with looks at Van Halen's last ...