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Wadada Leo Smith: The Emerald Duets
by Dan McClenaghan
Wadada Leo Smith's music is often celestial, but the man himself is of this Earth—of America, in particular, the progeny of people brought to the Western Hemisphere involuntarily. People who have historically been treated as less than human, for the “sin" of having dark skin. This goes on. The true sin, the flames of racism, are stoked by a former and possibly future (God help us all) president—a cruel, sociopathic, immoral, dishonest racist. Wadada Leo Smith is America. ...
Continue ReadingNew Wadada Leo Smith And More
by Bob Osborne
On this week's show two massive new releases from Wadada Leo Smith, a seven CD box set of String Quartets, and a five CD box set of duets with drummers. In addition, a variety of new releases and dip into the archive for some early music from William Parker.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Juanma Trujillo “Araya" from Collage (ears&eyes) 00:50 Peter Kogan “Pow, Pow, Pow—Yeah!" from Just Before Midnight (Koganote) 05:45 Todd Herbert “This Ones For Albert" from May ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith: String Quartets Nos. 1-12
by Karl Ackermann
In the thirty-page booklet that accompanies Wadada Leo Smith's String Quartets Nos. 1-12, the trumpeter & composer devotes a few paragraphs to the subject of inspiration. He traces an irregular line whose points include Claude Debussy, Dmitri Shostakovich, Muddy Waters, Ornette Coleman, and others. But those diverse artists, who came and went before Smith, have no markers in this seven-disc box set; they illuminate the composer's creative process and lay the barest groundwork for his new concepts. The ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith, William Parker & Aakash Mittal
by Maurice Hogue
Two of the most important creators of original music are featured in this episode—trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and his Great Lakes Quartet with the entire “Diamond Symphony" from The Chicago Symphonies, the second of two releases by Tum Records, and bassist William Parker with a piece from Painters Winter and one from Blue Limelight, one of the ten discs in his mind-boggling box set, . Saxophonist Aakash Mittal was influenced by the sounds of life during his sojourn in Kolkata, ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith: 80 Years Strong
by Doug Collette
The celebration of trumpeter/composer Wadada Leo Smith's 80th birthday milestone year culminates with yet another four-CD box set plus a proportionately sumptuous single-disc package. Both sets include extensively-annotated booklets with background on the graphics of the package as well as the music itself, with a thorough attention to detail reflective of the Mississippi native's boundless drive to stretch his own limits and those of his collaborators. As with the three-CD sets issued that precede these titles—Trumpet (Tum Records, 2021) and ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith: A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday
by Mark Corroto
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith creates a new trio with Vijay Iyer and drummer Jack DeJohnette. While the pianist and drummer have never recorded together, like a Venn diagram, their orbits were destined to overlap. Both musicians have recorded duets with Smith and both were members of Smith's Golden Quartet, just not at the same time. This recording from 2016, by three master artists, was fated to occur. With each new release from Smith, we appoint it as his ...
Continue ReadingWadada Leo Smith, Vijay Iyer & Jack DeJohnette: A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday
by Dan McClenaghan
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith reconvenes his Golden Quartet (sort of) for A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday. It began back in 2000 with the group's eponymous Tzadik Records release, featuring pianist Anthony Davis, Malachi Favors Maghostut on bass and drummer Jack DeJohnette. More albums came about—The Year of the Elephant (Pi Recordings, 2002), Tabligh (Cuniform Records, 2008) and more. The cast of characters shuffled, and some of Smith's most beautiful and approachable music was made. This time around, ...
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