Wadada Leo Smith -
trumpet, flugelhorn, percussion,
harmonica
The Bill Smith Ensemble:
Bill
Smith - saophones,
clarinet
David
Prentice - violin
David Lee - bass & cello
Larry Potter - vibraphone
press
reviews
This
is a reissue of modern jazz-avant-garde trumpeter Leo Smith’s
fine 1983 LP for the Canadian “Sackville Records,”
label. This edition includes the original album cover art and
Bill Shoemaker’s liner notes. Here, Smith performs with
woodwind artist, Bill Smith and his violin, bass/cello and vibraphone
ensemble for an adventurous set, tinged with freely improvised
movements.
The musicians engage in a deceptively complex series of exchanges,
marked by polytonal interplay, where vibist Larry Potter provides
a high end sheen to the overall proceedings. On pieces such
as “Madder Lake,” violinist David Prentice’s
staccato lines mesh rather nicely with Leo Smith’s raspy
toned choruses and rapid single note flurries. Other highlights
include the group’s sonorous, chamber-like endeavors and
sequential soloing spots. They often pursue a round-robin type
of approach, embroidered with changeable themes amid mood-evoking
passages. Overall, this outing signifies a worthy and relatively
important re-release for the trumpeter’s legion of admirers.
- Glenn Astarita
jazzreview.com
LEO
SMITH & THE BILL SMITH ENSEMBLE
Rastafari (Boxholder 035)
Downtown Music Gallery
This is
reissue of a Sackville studio date from 1983 which features
Leo
Smith on trumpets, Bill Smith on clarinet & soprano saxes,
David
Prentice on violin, David Lee on bass & cello and Larry
Potter on
vibes. AACM trumpet hero and multi-dimensional composer, Leo
Smith,
has had a long and diverse career in music making and teaching.
The
AACM philosophy, which flowered in the sixties, taught a healthy
respect for the many genres, influences and histories of music,
without the baggage of categorization. Leo Smith has worked
his way
through disciplines and embraced various philosophies, utilizing
jazz, blues, classical and even ideas. On this unique studio
date,
he worked with the Toronto based quartet led by the great modern
clarinetist, Bill Smith. "Rastafari" opens with Leo
chanting that
very word, but quickly we enter a world somewhere between modern
classical and avant-jazz, with exquisitely written material
which is
tight, focused and pretty quirky sound-wise. Beautifully recorded
and well balanced, this music is complex, challenging and fascinating
to take in. The rich harmonies of the muted trumpet, soprano
sax,
strings and vibes, is never dense, but spacious and strangely
enchanting. This ensemble appears to be a perfect match for
Leo's
enduring playing and ever-inspired composing. Occasionally sublime
and often superb on many levels.
Dusted
Magazine.com
Leo Smith with the Bill Smith Ensemble
Rastafari (Boxholder)
The original
cover of the 1983 Sackville Records LP features a picture of
the artist looking enigmatically at the camera like a Kingston
rude boy on the cover of a reggae import. The chant at the beginning
of the album, however, makes it clear that there will be no
reminiscing about government mansions down in Trenchtown; no
punky reggae free jazz party here. Instead, Smith assumes the
voice of a wise and aging spiritual leader, preaching to the
faithful. Without warning, the rest of the ensemble bursts in
with a flourish of barely tonal string thrusts. They quickly
take hold of the chant, spinning it off into unexpected territory.
- Dave
Morris
1.
Rastafari
2.
Ritual
3.
Madder Lake
4.
Little Bits
© 1997-2010 Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith
