Apr 1, 2025 11:04 AM
Vijay Iyer, Wadada Leo Smith United by Values on ‘Defiant Life’
On March 20, the night before the release of Defiant Life, the new Vijay Iyer-Wadada Leo Smith duo album from ECM, the…
“It’s an honor and a blessing to be in this universe with Mr. Smith,” said Vijay Iyer, left, of Wadada Leo Smith, right, at the March 20 release party for their latest duo recording, Defiant Life (ECM).
Apr 1, 2025 11:04 AM
On March 20, the night before the release of Defiant Life, the new Vijay Iyer-Wadada Leo Smith duo album from ECM, the…
“I work. That’s my joy,” says 80-year-old trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith.
Oct 4, 2022 1:50 PM
At 80, Wadada Leo Smith seems to be having the time of his life. He maintains a healthy diet, drinking only one cup of…
Pi founders Yulun Wang (left) and Seth Rosner
Jun 23, 2021 4:07 PM
Pi Recordings is one of the most respected labels in jazz, routinely presenting innovative, challenging work from…
Wadada Leo Smith performing at St. Mary’s Church in Pohja, Finland.
May 13, 2021 2:08 PM
During decades of recording and work alongside a cast of co-conspirators that could serve as a summation of jazz’s…
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is among several jazz world figures to become a 2021 United States Artists Fellow.
Feb 15, 2021 9:04 AM
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, saxophonist Edward “Kidd” Jordan and cellist Tomeka Reid are among the 2021 United…
Deerhoof vocalist and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith
Jun 19, 2020 2:44 PM
Avant-garde trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is teaming up with out-rock ensemble Deerhoof on a release to benefit Black…
Egberto Gismonti flew to New York from his home in Brazil for ECM Records at 50, a Nov. 1 and 2 celebration of the imprint at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.
Nov 8, 2019 1:50 PM
The curation for ECM Records at 50, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s tribute to the famed record label on Nov. 1 and 2 in New…
The sound of pianist Marilyn Crispell changed following a trip to a festival in Stockholm: “I heard them playing stuff that really, really touched me.”
Oct 31, 2019 2:42 PM
In 1985, writer Graham Lock joined saxophonist Anthony Braxton and his band on a tour of England, making stops in…
Trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith hosted his third CREATE Festival April 6 and 7 at Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut.
Feb 15, 2021 6:11 PM
The sheer force of Wadada Leo Smith’s shaman-like charisma filled the room before he even took the stage at Firehouse…
Wadada Leo Smith released a new large-scale work, Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio Of Seven Songs (TUM), on Feb. 15.
Mar 4, 2019 10:27 AM
An early member of Chicago’s AACM and a master composer with 50 years of work behind him, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith…
Jamal Moore recently issued Psalms Of Baltimore with his Organix Trio.
Jul 25, 2018 1:12 PM
Jamal Moore, founder of Organix Trio, has self-released a new collection of music, Psalms Of Baltimore, which explores…
Wadada Leo Smith’s improvisational chops weren’t properly utilized in this particular setting at Winter Jazzfest, writes critic Ken Micallef.
Jan 31, 2018 8:43 PM
Even on the surface, the lineup was at best quizzical.
The final night of Winter Jazzfest 2018 counted what was…
Wadada Leo Smith
May 8, 2020 2:09 PM
The CREATE festival made its West Coast debut in San Francisco’s Mission District on Dec. 15.
The inaugural CREATE…
Wadada Leo Smith
May 8, 2020 2:09 PM
Composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith will present CREATE Festival West, a two-day exploration of his music that will…
Alexander von Schlippenbach (left), Rudi Mahall, Uli Jennessen and Axel Dörner perform at the Molde Jazz Festival in Norway. (Obscured: bassist Jan Roder)
Jul 28, 2017 11:24 AM
Vijay Iyer has done more than his share in the contemporary cause of musical border-crossing and idiom-fusing in—and…
Wadada Leo Smith topped three categories in the DownBeat Critics Poll: Trumpet, Jazz Artist and Jazz Album (for America’s National Parks).
Jun 29, 2017 3:26 PM
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and guitarist Mary Halvorson are among the artists who topped multiple categories in the…
Vijay Iyer (center) performs with the Brentano String Quartet on June 10.
Jun 16, 2017 5:29 PM
For several decades, the idyllic small town of Ojai, California, has been the annual site of one of America’s more…
Wadada Leo Smith was named Musician of the Year in the 2017 Jazz Journalism Awards.
May 16, 2017 4:08 PM
The Jazz Journalists Association has announced the winners of its 21st annual Jazz Awards, celebrating 41 categories…
Wadada Leo Smith is the organizing force behind the CREATE Festival, a two-day celebration of creative music that will take place in New Haven, Connecticut, April 8-9.
May 8, 2020 2:10 PM
Acclaimed trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith has inhabited many roles throughout his prolific career: improviser, recording…
Wadada Leo Smith (foreground) performs with John Lindberg at Woodland Pattern bookstore in Milwaukee on Oct. 30.
Nov 14, 2016 4:01 PM
On Oct. 30, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and bassist John Lindberg completed a Midwest tour to promote their 2015 album,…
Wadada Leo Smith
Dec 16, 2016 8:23 AM
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is a multi-award winning composer, performer and educator, shortlisted for the 2013 Pulitzer…
Wadada Leo Smith, whose double album America’s National Parks comes out Oct. 14, is among the artists who have fall releases.
Oct 17, 2016 9:56 AM
This fall, jazz fans can expect to add a few more items to their “must-listen” lists, as several noteworthy…
Wadada Leo Smith will release America’s National Parks on Cuneiform Records on Oct. 14.
May 8, 2020 2:08 PM
August 2016 marks the centennial anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service. Numerous celebrations…
Joss Stone performs at the Molde Jazz Festival in Molde, Norway, on July 23.
Aug 23, 2016 10:27 AM
Aside from being one of the world’s oldest jazz gatherings, the Molde Jazz Festival, which turned 56 this year, is…
Hamiet Bluiett (left) and Bob Stewart perform during the Vision Festival at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan on June 11.
Jul 1, 2016 2:12 PM
Nights at New York City’s annual Vision Festival have a reputation for being more sweet than short, but the June 11…
Matana Roberts is among the recipients of the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Awards for jazz.
Jul 11, 2016 12:38 PM
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, saxophonist Matana Roberts and pianist Fred Hersch are among the jazz artists recognized as…
Vijay Iyer (left) performs with Wadada Leo Smith at the Met Breuer on March 31.
Jun 28, 2016 12:44 PM
Throughout March, pianist Vijay Iyer’s tenure as Artist-In-Residence at the Met Breuer resulted in what was perhaps…
