Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers

[Blue Train]

As part of this year's London Jazz Festival.....The European premiere of Smith's Ten Freedom Summers to be preformed from Nov. 21-23.


http://cafeoto.co.uk/ljf-wadada-leo-smith-ten-freedom-summers.shtm

[Stefan Wood]

[Chuck Nessa]

Saw a selections of it this Fall at the Chicago fest and it was stunning. The live performance hit me more directly than the recording. Wadada was positively glowing afterwards.

Catch it if you can and say "hey" from me.

[mjazzg]

I'll be there for at least one night - ticket booked. Considering doing the whole thing if life allows

[mjazzg]

Just back from the first evening's performance. Astonishing music that really came alive in performance as compared to the discs - much as Mr Nessa notes above.

It was a rare treat to see Anthony Davis and John Lindberg live in London. The local string quartet acquitted themselves admirably and drew warm commendations from Mr Smith at the end.

There was a lot of music to absorb in a two hour set. Wadada Leo Smith's conducting and cueing almost seemed like live composition but the written parts that were being read throughout obviously contradicted this impression. His playing was pinpoint sharp and cut right to the heart. His 'speech' at the end brought humour and warmth to close the evening.

A privilege to have been a witness to such a performance.

[Chuck Nessa]

Glad you could experience it. Wadada is a fascinating musician, not to be taken lightly.

Thankfully I can count him as a friend.

[Dick Bowman]

Just back from the first evening's performance. Astonishing music that really came alive in performance as compared to the discs - much as Mr Nessa notes above.

[... deleted ...]

I second that - the discs had rather left me cold.

[Alexander Hawkins]

I was lucky enough to be able to juggle things to catch all three nights. Absolutely spectacular...difficult to articulate the cumulative impact of a three-night residency like that. Each night was very different. The second was incredibly daring - lots of major risks taken, with the live, 'real-time' shaping of the performance particularly dramatic...the third night struck me as the most beautiful, but this may also have been to do with it feeling like a 'culmination'...

It was great to catch up with Wadada, and as a pianist, I was psyched to get to hang out with Anthony Davis for a couple of hours too...similarly great to meet John Lindberg and Anthony Brown.

Also - one of the most successful uses of visuals with music I have seen...Jessie Gilbert was great.

Anyway, I guess it's not often you see a performance which forces you to rethink things...but this was such an event, and it'll take some time to digest!

[mjazzg]

A recording of one of the evenngs is currently on BBC Radio 3 website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03q5br1