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Wadada Leo Smith's Mbira: Dark Lady of the Sonnets
by Dave Wayne
Trumpet and drums--a truly primal combination--are joined by the delicately trilling, archaic and arcane sounds of the Chinese lute or pipa on Dark Lady of the Sonnets, Wadada Leo Smith's musical venture with a new trio, Mbira. At age 70, Smith's torrid creative pace is matched only by the forged-steel strength of his trumpet playing. Percussionist Pheeroan AkLaff has been working with Smith since the early 1970s. Their musical connection is telepathic, and the two move almost as one throughout ...
read moreWadada Leo Smith's Mbira: Dark Lady of the Sonnets
by Raul d'Gama Rose
In the epic narratives and gorgeous elegies of trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith lies a heart immersed in the spirituality of the blues. His music drinks from an ancient well that predates organized worship and actually resides in one that celebrates the Creator in his awesome glory. This is why Smith is able to make his horn not merely an extension of his lips and tongue, but of his heart and soul. His unique voice is an extension of ...
read moreWadada Leo Smith's Mbira: Dark Lady of the Sonnets
by Eyal Hareuveni
Every few years master composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith surprises with a new outfit that fits wonderfully in his rich and complex musical universe. The Mbira trio is no exception: a timeless, multidimensional trio, inspired by revered ancestors but with its course set for a possible future. In this trio, Smith contextualizes the spiritual veins of the American school of free jazz, the Mbira (thumb piano) music of the Shona culture in Zimbabwe, and traditional Chinese music, all in ...
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