Jazz / Avant-Garde; Avant-Garde Jazz
Wadada Leo Smith - Producer, Kenong, Trumpet
Allan Vogel - Oboe
Arthur Jarvinen Marimba, Tibetan Bells, Cymbals, Axatse, Drums (Bass), Vibraphone, Hi Hat, Drums
Bertram Turetzky Solo Instrumental, Contrabass, Double Bass
Billy Powell Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass)
David Rosenboom Conductor
Dorothy Stone Flute, Piccolo, Flute (Alto)
Erika Duke-Kirkpartick Cello
Harumi Makino Smith Poetry, Performer
Heung-Heung "Chippy" Chin Design
I. Nyoman Wenten Gender Barung
John Parsons Gender Panembung
John Zorn Executive Producer
Karen Elaine Bakunin Viola
Kazunori Sugiyama Associate Producer, Producer
Mark Trayle Electronics, Performer
Marty Walker Clarinet (Bass), Clarinet
Rob Lorentz Violin
Stephen Lucky Mosko Conductor
Tom Erbe Mixing, Engineer
Trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, improviser and theoretician, Wadada Leo Smith is one of the most important composers of our time. An original member of Chicago's AACM, his exciting pieces blending composition and mprovisation have been performed by many of the world's most important ensembles and soloists. Featuring an exotic composition for chamber ensemble and gamelan quartet, a beautiful solo piece for viola, a bass concerto written for virtuoso Bert Turetzky and two electronic pieces featuring Leo's unique trumpet improvisations, Wadada considers Light Upon Light his best recording to date.
Wadada Leo Smith's second recording for the Tzadik label, Light Upon Light, is more spacious and a little colder than his first, Tao-Njia. It consists of five compositions performed by varying lineups, including his group N'Da Kulture. The opening composition is performed by California's EAR Unit, who are also heard on Tao-Njia. "Moths, Flames, and the Giant Sequoia Redwood Trees" is a slightly atmospheric, scenic piece that includes the welcome presence of Vicki Ray's piano playing. Following this is a rather dramatic solo viola composition, on which high vibratos hint at the lower harmonic and melodic modes that the heard notes are only a variant of, or harmony to. Next comes "MultiAmerica," a work of sound effects, spoken word, and Smith's trumpet. "Nur," performed by New Century Players, was composed for the bassist Bertram Turetzky. It starts out minimal, with bass clusters, until celesta and harmonium toll in more activity and the composition gradually swells toward crescendo, then drops into a fast dwindle before actually peaking. During "A Thousand Cranes: A Memorial for Amir Hamzehi," Mark Trayle achieves accordion-like effects through electronics, while Smith provides slow trumpet statements that reverb and fade. ~ Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide
Wadada Leo Smith
Active Decades: '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Dec 18, 1941 in Leland, MS
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Modern Creative, Avant-Garde, Modern Free, Free Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz
A consistently adventurous trumpeter who has stuck to playing avant-garde jazz throughout his career, Leo Smith's dry, introverted style (which makes extensive use of space) is a strong contrast to the more jubilant flights of Lester Bowie. Smith originally played drums, mellophone, and French horn before settling on trumpet. He gained early experience performing in R&B groups and played in an Army band while serving in the military. By 1967, Leo Smith was a member of Chicago's AACM. He soon helped to found the Creative Construction Company, an innovative trio with violinist Leroy Jenkins and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton that toured Europe in the late '60s. Smith, who was involved in making the documentary film See the Music in 1970, formed the New Dalta Ahkri in New Haven, CT, an influential if under-documented band that at times included Henry Threadgill, Anthony Davis, and Oliver Lake. Smith studied ethnomusicology in the mid-'70s at Wesleyan, played with Braxton in 1976, and recorded with Derek Bailey's Company. He has also freelanced with his own diverse groups during the past several decades. After becoming a Rastafarian in the 1980s, he changed his name to Wadada Leo Smith. He began teaching at Cal Arts in 1993. Leo Smith, who founded the Kabell label in 1971, has also recorded for Freedom, Moers, ECM, Nesssa, FMP, Black Saint, Nessa, and Sackville in settings ranging from unaccompanied solos to a big band.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
