Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
(18 December 1941 in Leland, Mississippi) is a trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. He started out playing drums, mellophone, and French horn before he settled on the trumpet. He played in various R&B groups and by 1967 became a member of the AACM and co-founded the Creative Construction Company, a trio with Leroy Jenkins and Anthony Braxton. In 1971 Smith formed his own label, Kabell. He also formed another band, the New Dalta Ahkri, with members including Henry Threadgill, Anthony Davis and Oliver Lake.
In the 1970s Smith studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University. He played again with Anthony Braxton as well as recording with Derek Bailey's Company. In the mid-1980s, Smith became Rastafarian and began using the name Wadada. In 1993, he began teaching at Cal Arts, a position he currently holds. In addition to trumpet and flugelhorn, Smith plays several world music instruments, including the koto, kalimba, and atenteben (Ghanaian bamboo flute); he has also taught courses in instrument making. His compositions often use a graphic notation system he calls "Ankhrasmation," which he developed in 1970.
In 1998, Smith and guitarist Henry Kaiser released Yo, Miles!
a tribute to Miles Davis's under-appreciated 1970s electric period. On this album Smith, Kaiser and a large cast of musicians recorded cover versions and original compositions inspired by Miles's electric music. The follow-ups Sky Garden
(released by Cuneiform in 2004) and Upriver
(released in 2005) were recorded with a different cast of musicians. Both line-ups featured Michael Manring on bass.
Smith's Golden Quartet
(with whom he's released two albums) features Jack DeJohnette on drums, Anthony Davis on keyboards, and Malachi Favors on bass.
During the 2000s, Smith recorded albums for John Zorn's Tzadik, as well as Pi Recordings.
He has also performed with the Japanese koto player Tadao Sawai.
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WADADA LEO SMITH TICKETS
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Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
(
18 December 1941 in
Leland, Mississippi) is a
trumpeter and composer working primarily in the fields of
avant-garde jazz and
free improvisation. He started out playing drums,
mellophone, and
French horn before he settled on the trumpet. He played in various R&B groups and by 1967 became a member of the
AACM and co-founded the
Creative Construction Company, a trio with
Leroy Jenkins and
Anthony Braxton. In 1971 Smith formed his own label, Kabell. He also formed another band, the New Dalta Ahkri, with members including
Henry Threadgill,
Anthony Davis and
Oliver Lake.
In the 1970s Smith studied
ethnomusicology at
Wesleyan University. He played again with
Anthony Braxton as well as recording with Derek Bailey's Company. In the mid-1980s, Smith became
Rastafarian and began using the name Wadada. In 1993, he began teaching at
Cal Arts, a position he currently holds. In addition to trumpet and flugelhorn, Smith plays several world music instruments, including the
koto,
kalimba, and
atenteben (Ghanaian bamboo flute); he has also taught courses in instrument making. His compositions often use a
graphic notation system he calls "Ankhrasmation," which he developed in 1970.
In 1998, Smith and guitarist
Henry Kaiser released
Yo, Miles!
a tribute to
Miles Davis's under-appreciated 1970s electric period. On this album Smith, Kaiser and a large cast of musicians recorded cover versions and original compositions inspired by Miles's electric music. The follow-ups
Sky Garden
(released by
Cuneiform in 2004) and
Upriver
(released in 2005) were recorded with a different cast of musicians. Both line-ups featured
Michael Manring on bass.
Smith's
Golden Quartet
(with whom he's released two albums) features
Jack DeJohnette on drums,
Anthony Davis on keyboards, and
Malachi Favors on bass.
During the 2000s, Smith recorded albums for
John Zorn's
Tzadik, as well as
Pi Recordings.
He has also performed with the Japanese koto player
Tadao Sawai.