Wadada Leo Smith

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Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is playing a gig in London on Sat 29th March, at the Conway Hall in London. It's being put together by the Spring Heel Jack boys, who'll also be playing along w/ Jason Pierce, Evan Parker, John Edwards and Mark Sanders. I think the plan is to have Smith do a solo set, followed by some group improv. I'm going to go, but have to admit I'm not esp. familiar w/ Smith's method/history/discography - any pointers or tips, anyone?

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmm, based on the evening you're describing, you could seek out the LUMINOUS AXIS album he released on Tzadik featuring trumpet and laptops. That's about all I'm familiar with. I did see him Chicago a couple years ago with Hamid Drake, and that was a really good show. Hopefully the London gig will be good.

― Jeff Sumner (Jeff Sumner), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Loved him with the Braxton trio; that group was delightfully adept at pulling off Braxton's knotty compositions. I liked well enough the Smith Spirit Catcher lp that was on Nessa. Bought the disc he did for ECM (Kulture Jazz) when it came out in '95 and really hated it. It was all solo and a kind of "story of jazz" narrative with annoying spoken words bits thrown in; the whole thing naturally marred further by stentorian production. He has gone to make many, many records since that one, so someone must be liking his current material. He's certainly a fine player. I keep meaning to give another recent record a chance but haven't yet done so.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 23:14 (twenty-three years ago)

" I keep meaning to give another recent record a chance but haven't yet done so. "

-- Of his newer ones, alas, i can suggest only what to *avoid*: that sort-of-recent Miles tribute ('Yo Miles', was that its title?); it's sadly over-worked, and tries to hard, and eventually sounds cumbersome and nearly lifeless, despite all its noble intentions...

of older records, however, 'Devine Love' is mighty good; with Wheeler, Haden, Lester Bowie, etc.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 13 March 2003 00:39 (twenty-three years ago)

I have his fairly recent Golden Quartet record with Jack deJohnette. It's very free but still pretty melodic, he's definitely a good player. I haven't listened to this in forever, I'll have to pull it out.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 13 March 2003 03:12 (twenty-three years ago)

what is good (and available) of his early stuff?

i have a few records that he is on, and i am pretty satisfied with them. i believe he plays on the first braxton record on delmark, which is killer. is he on some of those early richard abrams LP's too?

― john fail (cenotaph), Thursday, 13 March 2003 03:19 (twenty-three years ago)

conway hall is the same place where AMM performed w/christian wolf and that is my week off (easter break) so yay!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:38 (twenty-three years ago)

thirteen years pass...

Can't believe this is the only thread for this guy. He's fantastic. I wrote a Wire cover story on him in 2010; you can read the full transcript of our interview on their website.

Listening to Song of Humanity tonight; it's a 1977 live album with his band New Dalta Ahkri, which at that time included Oliver Lake on saxes, Anthony Davis on piano, Wes Brown on bass and flute, and Pheeroan AkLaff on drums. It was included in a 4CD set on Tzadik, The Kabell Years.

― Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Saturday, 28 January 2017 03:07 (nine years ago)

ten freedom summers is beautiful

― ANU (sisilafami), Saturday, 28 January 2017 10:20 (nine years ago)

he was involved in at least 2 brilliant albums last year, but I have to admit to being completely clueless about his pre- 00's output.

― calzino, Saturday, 28 January 2017 14:23 (nine years ago)

I have to admit to being completely clueless about his pre- 00's output

Check out Divine Love on ECM and Spirit Catcher on Nessa.

― Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Saturday, 28 January 2017 15:01 (nine years ago)

thnx, I'll check them out later.

― calzino, Saturday, 28 January 2017 15:18 (nine years ago)

A lot of his stuff is on labels that don't stream (ECM, Nessa, Cuneiform, Tzadik). It's unfortunate.

― Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Saturday, 28 January 2017 16:09 (nine years ago)

all the stuff he put out on his own label is worth hearing.

https://www.discogs.com/label/52469-Kabell-Records

i probably play that ecm record the most. divine love.

and the record he did with bobby naughton on naughton's label. because everyone had their own label. THE HAUNT. cool record. he's on a lot of good stuff. keep hoping i'll find a copy of that record he made with marion brown. but i never see it. even the cd of it probably hard to find.

― scott seward, Saturday, 28 January 2017 17:09 (nine years ago)

ten freedom summers is beautiful

― wins, Saturday, 28 January 2017 17:17 (nine years ago)

I was listening to that incredible Divine Love last night and then the America album with Jack DeJohnette. Feel like a Wadada binge would be a very good thing indeed right now.

― calzino, Sunday, 29 January 2017 10:30 (nine years ago)

His trio with Peter Kowald and Günter Sommer was brilliant.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Sunday, 29 January 2017 21:26 (nine years ago)

some of his organic band stuff is probably as close in spirit and sound to Big Fun Miles as anything I've ever heard. And I don't mean in an imitative style, it is some vital music.

― calzino, Tuesday, 31 January 2017 12:45 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0as0UUNUpU

― calzino, Tuesday, 31 January 2017 14:48 (nine years ago)

three years pass...

Been bumping Tabligh a lot this summer, gorgeous record, really love so many of his records.

― blue light or electric light (the table is the table), Thursday, 16 July 2020 23:47 (five years ago)

Very informative thread. Smith also appears sometimes with jazz-rock-hiphop-blues etc. Threadgill-related power trio Harriet Tubman. He's def. on this album, my gateway to HT:
https://harriettubman.bandcamp.com/album/araminta

― dow, Friday, 17 July 2020 00:06 (five years ago)

I got to see him at ECM's 50th anniversary concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center last year, first in duo with Vijay Iyer (who played piano and Fender Rhodes) and then in trio with Bill Frisell and Andrew Cyrille. The show was a whole bunch of 10-15 minute mini-sets by an assload of performers, so WLS was only onstage for about 20-25 minutes total, but it was amazing.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, 17 July 2020 00:31 (five years ago)

two years pass...

Live solo performance from Dia: Beacon, 12/3/22:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioRwwnF0YWM

― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 26 December 2022 18:17 (three years ago)

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