Rabble Without A Cause, June 5: Wadada Leo Smith, another living legend (rescheduled to June 12)
Featuring new releases from the 82 year-old trumpet player
Note: due to technical issues, the original broadcast date of June 5 has been rescheduled to June 12).
Born on December 18, 1941 in Leland, Mississippi, Wadada Leo Smith composed his first piece of music at the age of twelve, and at thirteen started performing with Delta Blues and other traditional bands. In 1967, he moved to Chicago and became part of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), serving as the group’s vice president beginning in 1968.
He has described his philosophy of music in these words:
The creative artists have always strived to make the world a better place through their ideas and music performances, serving all people. Creative music and the arts are for everyone and most specifically those who can and will make the effort to confront themselves in a direct search for truth. And because of their efforts, those people live adventurously in their discoveries of themselves and the secrets of life.
What we discover is right in front of us, and also enclosed inside of our hearts, just waiting for us to realize and accept our presence on this planet.
What defines all of us as human beings is the inspiration and knowledge to make coherent choices, informed through science, art, and authentic spiritual practice to develop a genuine care for others and the world we live in.
Continuing the theme of recent recordings by living legends from the In A Mellow Tone show airing in the previous two hours, I will be featuring four recent recordings of Wadada Leo Smith:
Fire Illuminations (with Orange Wave Electric)
Chimaera (with Sylvie Courvoisier)
Dét, som ikke kan kaldes tilbage (with Søren Nørbo and Kresten Osgood)
Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (with Amina Claudine Meyers)
This live performance, recorded in 2021 to celebrate his 80th birthday, gives a good sense of his continued dynamism.
You can listen live on Wednesday, June 5 in Ottawa on FM 93.1 or online at CKCUFM.com. Shortly after broadcast, the show will be available for streaming on demand.