*****Wadada Leo Smith*****

[king ubu]

Let's have little place on our forum for discussion of Leo Smith's music. I know quite a few here like his electric Miles tributes, and I am aware that these, as well as the Kabell Box (here) have been discussed on the board.

I am quite a fan of Smith's, going from the relatively few discs I have (Kabell Years, Golden Quartet, Year of the Elephant, and a Neue Musik like Tzadik disc, the title of which escapes me at the moment). Also there is at least one set (3 CDRs) of his Miles tribute that is (was?) available online, for free.

Now the reason why I start this discussion today (instead of when I would have been able to spin the discs again and do a little reading first), is because of this:

http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-m...ion.php?e_id=37

This link leads you to the page of the radio show "Le jazz probablement" on the France Musiques website. By clicking the blinking thing between "l'émission du 12 juin" and"ecouter", you can - in shitty ram-format, but still - catch 40 minutes of the latest (?) version of Leo Smith's "Golden Quartet", that is:

• Leo Smith - trumpet
  Vijay Iyers - keyboards
  John Lindberg - bass
  Ronald Shannon Jackson - drums
  

The set was recorded at the 2005 edition of the Banlieues Bleues festival in Aubervilliers, France, on March 31, 2005.

Here's a direct link, but I cannot check it out from work, no Real Player installed here...)

I heard parts of this on the air last night, and there's some fine playing to be witnessed!

Here's the blurb from the Banlieues Bleues website:

Entre la lignée des trompettistes éclatants (Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie) et celle des ténébreux (Miles Davis, Chet Baker), Wadada Leo Smith a ouvert une troisième voie, contemplative tourmentée, et multicolore, comme celle de Don Cherry. Né dans le Mississipi (B. B. King et Elmore James étaient ses parrains), Wadada jouait dans des orchestres de blues et de rhythm'n'blues avant de fonder à Chicago en 1968 (avec Leroy Jenkins et Anthony Braxton) l'un des premiers groupes de l'AACM. Trompettiste virtuose et exigeant, il a repoussé les limites de son instrument, notamment sur le plan du souffle et de l'attaque, de la durée du son, et s'est forgé un univers complètement personnel, à mi-chemin entre la Great Black Music et les influences culturelles du monde entier. Parmi ses très nombreuses activités et collaborations (de Cecil Taylor à Brigitte Fontaine, de Derek Bailey à John Zorn), son diamant noir est assurément ce Golden Quartet , super-groupe créé en 2000 avec Anthony Davis, Jack DeJohnette et Malachi Favors et qui a hanté les plus prestigieuses salles de concert américaines. Le décès prématuré du contrebassiste chicagoan a poussé Wadada Leo Smith à recomposer entièrement le quartette, avec le jeune pianiste Vijay Iyer, le contrebassiste John Lindberg (fondateur du String Trio of New York) et Ronald Shannon Jackson (ancien batteur d'Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman et Cecil Taylor). Un carré magique avec lequel il vient enfin en France, pour Banlieues Bleues.

(source: http://www.banlieuesbleues.org/fiche/C05014_D.HTM)

[Geoff]

Also there is at least one set (3 CDRs) of his Miles tribute that is (was?) available online, for free.

King Ubu, do you have any idea where I can find these "free" CDRs?

I really like what I've heard from Wasada Leo Smith.

Unfortunately I havn't heard too much (only his stuff on Tzadik), I havn't even heard his miles tributes yet.

[John B]

his album on Nessa, Procession of the Great Ancestry, is fantastic, and not mentioned often enough:

Has anyone heard his disc Lake Biwa, on Tzadik? I remember reading some rave reviews when it was released, but nothing since.

[John B]

Also there is at least one set (3 CDRs) of his Miles tribute that is (was?) available online, for free.

King Ubu, do you have any idea where I can find these "free" CDRs?

←

go here.

There are two live shows available. One is 3 discs, one is 2. Both feature ROVA, among the many musicians.

[Geoff]

Also there is at least one set (3 CDRs) of his Miles tribute that is (was?) available online, for free.

King Ubu, do you have any idea where I can find these "free" CDRs?

←

go here.

There are two live shows available. One is 3 discs, one is 2. Both feature ROVA, among the many musicians.

←

wow thanks John B,

I see the Funny Rat thread is still alive!

I've now graduated and have a full time job. So there isn't as much time to post of forum now.

But at least I have a lot more money to buy records with

[king ubu]

Also there is at least one set (3 CDRs) of his Miles tribute that is (was?) available online, for free.

King Ubu, do you have any idea where I can find these "free" CDRs?

←

go here.

There are two live shows available. One is 3 discs, one is 2. Both feature ROVA, among the many musicians.

←

Geoff, nice to see you again here! John has provided the pointers, I'll have to get the 2CD set, myself, too! Interesting to see that Zakir Hussain is on that set!

[Clunky]

I heard a track off one of Smith's "Miles electric" CDs and have to say whilst his playing was very proficient it didn't really do anything extra/ different for my compared to Miles' versions.

Now "Spirit Catcher" on Nessa ( still available from Chuck( on vinyl only AFAIK) is altogether more original and much more like it. Ambitious in it's breadth of vision and unusual instrumentation ( harps !!)

[JohnS]

Here's an interesting Leo Smith album, with Peter Kowald and Gunter Sommer. It's on the East German Amiga Jazz label, licensed from FMP. Recorded in W.Berlin in 1979.

I was at a performance by this trio in London around that time.

[SEK]

I heard a track off one of Smith's  "Miles electric" CDs and have to say whilst his playing was very proficient it didn't really do anything extra/ different for my compared to  Miles' versions.

I've never felt compelled to buy any of the Miles tributes. What I've heard at friends' houses has been quite sufficient. I'd always opt for Miles doing Miles.

Now "Spirit Catcher" on Nessa ( still available from Chuck( on vinyl only AFAIK) is altogether more original and much more like it. Ambitious in it's breadth of vision and unusual instrumentation ( harps !!)

That's how I experienced it, back when I did vinyl. I like the Nessa Leo Smith recordings the best, and I think that "Spirit Catcher", sonicly and compositionally, is the most wondrous Leo Smith recording ever. As I posted earlier, I would certainly welcome a CD release of "Spirit Catcher", but I think that it's unlikely that there would ever be sufficient market support for it, even with the addition of an alternate of the harp piece that Chuck mentioned in his January 2 reply.

[clifford_thornton]

Huh. For some reason, I'd always been under the impression that the Amiga was, in this rare case, the first version. Haven't got 'round to picking up this set, though...

I really enjoy Leo's work with AACM-ites and his various New Haven projects (Kabell, CMIF, Marion Brown, etc.), but haven't checked out any of the more recent stuff. Not that intrigued by a Miles tribute, personally.

[paul secor]

Spirit Catcher on Nessa is my favorite W.L. Smith recording, but Divine Love (ECM) is also a very fine one. Fans of Mr Smith should also check out his playing on John Lindberg's A Tree Frog Tonality (Between the Lines).

[JohnS]

Huh. For some reason, I'd always been under the impression that the Amiga was, in this rare case, the first version. Haven't got 'round to picking up this set, though...

←

You could be right. I've never seen another copy on Amiga or FMP.

[couw]

Huh. For some reason, I'd always been under the impression that the Amiga was, in this rare case, the first version. Haven't got 'round to picking up this set, though...

←

You could be right. I've never seen another copy on Amiga or FMP.

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AFAIK, there were a number of albums released as a co-production between VEB Deutsche Schallplatten DDR (Amiga) and Free Music Production Berlin (West).

In case of Ulrich Gumpert Workshop Band (Amiga) / Echoes from Karolinenhof (FMP), I know this to be a fact as the liners on both LPs mention it.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Listening to 'Song of Humanity' from the Kabell box. Stunning stuff. Smith has a wonderful ear for colours.

Oliver Lake is great here, too.

[Chuck Nessa]

The "Smith/Kowald/Sommer" group made 2 lps for FMP - Touch the Earth (1979) and Break the Shells (1981). IIRC, FMP has issued a cd called Break the Shells combining the 2 lps BUT omitting the "title tune" (Break the Shells) of about 18 minutes.

Whatever, this is great stuff and I recommend getting the available material.

Here's an interesting Leo Smith album,  with Peter Kowald and Gunter Sommer.  It's on the East German Amiga Jazz label, licensed from FMP.  Recorded in W.Berlin in 1979.

I was at a performance by this trio in London around that time.

←

Edited August 19, 2005 by Chuck Nessa

[Alexander Hawkins]

Chuck, I remember you commenting (perhaps in a discussion of '3 Compositions of New Jazz'?) on the size of Smith's tone. I'm not sure if it's the way this is recorded, or what, but this is very much brought home by portions of the Kabell box. And what a tone! Reminds me, in some ways, of Jabbo Smith...

[Alexander Hawkins]

Although the group stuff is what really drew me in here, I'm really beginning to get into the solo recordings.

Time to revisit Red Sulphur Sky, as well!

[Guest akanalog]

coincidentally i am lisening to leo smith and new dalta ahkri-"go in numbers" right now.

it is a little quiet for me. no percussion besides a vibraphone and the bassist isn't exactly holding it down tightly. probably good music but a little quiet for me.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Spirit Catcher on Nessa is my favorite W.L. Smith recording, but Divine Love (ECM) is also a very fine one. Fans of Mr Smith should also check out his playing on John Lindberg's A Tree Frog Tonality (Between the Lines).

Just got Divine Love. Beatiful, beautiful recording!

[Chuck Nessa]

Been downloading and burning the above links today. Fun stuff.

FWIW, I received an email from John Litweiler telling me "The Art Ensemble of Chicago for the foreseeable future is a quartet of Leo Smith, trumpet ; Roscoe Mitchell, saxes; Jaribu Shadid, bass; Don Moye,

percussion.

Don was on my radio program tonight and said that Muhal, George,

and Braxton were not going to tour with the Art Ensemble this year -

anything other than the quartet is somebody's pipe dream. "

Wadada/Leo is one of my favorite people.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Been downloading and burning the above links today. Fun stuff.

Is there an easy way to do this? I seem to be listening succesfully to the stream, but am not sure how to download it...

[gslade]

Been downloading and burning the above links today. Fun stuff.

FWIW, I received an email from John Litweiler telling me "The Art Ensemble of Chicago for the foreseeable future is a quartet of Leo Smith, trumpet ; Roscoe Mitchell, saxes; Jaribu Shadid, bass; Don Moye,

percussion.

Don was on my radio program tonight and said that Muhal, George,

and Braxton were not going to tour with the Art Ensemble this year -

anything other than the quartet is somebody's pipe dream. "

Wadada/Leo is one of my favorite people.

[Aggie87]

Spinning "Reflectativity" on Tzadik for the first time tonight. It's a trio recording with Anthony Davis (who was also on the original Reflectativity from '74) and Malachi Favors Magoustous, and sounds great!

I think I'm going to have to go back and pick up the Kabell box now.

[stuartjewkes]

I've got a lot of Wadada Leo Smith with Braxton and he can certainly play. Quite a sensitive player in the duo format too. I think I'll be looking out for more of his stuff.

Just downloading the Miles thing now, should be interesting!

[Lazaro Vega]

There's a new Golden Quartet on Cunieform with Vijay Iyer, piano; John Lindberg, bass; and Shannon Jackson, drums. The piece "Rosa Parks" draws on some of that Miles inspired work, while "DeJohnette" lets it out. Have to check out the long title track yet, "Tabligh." Did the French Radio broadcast include composition titles?

Edited June 8, 2008 by Lazaro Vega