Angel City Art's Presents: Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet in Hollywood

Well, Rocco's at it again and this time he is presenting Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet in their first performance in LA since their Redcat performacne a couple of years ago.

Quartet includes the high rising pianist Vijay Iyer, and veterans John Lindberg on bass and Pheeroan Aklaff on drums. There will also be a guest performance by Motoko Honda.

Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet
one night only, April 3rd!

Lauded as “one of the most vital musicians on the planet” by Coda, Wadada Leo Smith is one of the most visionary, boldly original and artistically important figures in contemporary American jazz and free music, and one of the great trumpet players of our time. As a composer, improviser, performer, music theorist/writer and educator, Smith has devoted a lifetime to
navigating the emotional heart, spiritual soul, social significance and physical structure of jazz - both free and composed - and world music to create new music of infinite possibility and nuance.

This concert will feature music from the Golden Quartetʼs newest release "Spiritual Dimension" and a premiere of the music commissioned through the Guggenheim Foundation.

Saturday, April 3, 2010
8:00pm - 11:00PM
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
4800 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Golden Quartet
Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet
Vijay Iyer - piano
John Lindberg - bass,
Pheeroan Aklaff - drums
with special guest Motoko Honda - piano and electronics

http://music.calarts.edu/~wls/pages/gq_ensemble.html

http://www.barnsdallartpark.com


General Admission: $25
Students: $15

tickets:

http://www.itsmyseat.com/DisplayEvent.html?sse=805699

First 50 ticket buyers will receive a free copy of Wadada Leo Smith's CD "Dreams and Secrets"

New Release: Wadada Leo Smith - Spiritual Dimensions

Wadada Leo Smith - Spiritual Dimensions on Cuneiform Records

This is a new 2-CD release featuring Wadada's Golden Quintet on disc one (w/ Vijay Ayer-Piano/Synth, John Lindberg-Bass, Pheeroan Aklaff & Don Moye-Drums) and his group Organic on disc two (Michael Gregory-guitar, Brandon Ross-guitar, Nels Cline-guitar, Okyung Lee-cello, Skuli Sverrisson-Bass, John Lindberg-Bass, and Peeroan Aklaff-drums. Organic also has a guest appearance by Lamar Smith, Wadada's grandson, on two tracks.

Both CD's are taken from live shows, Golden Quintet @ Vision XIII in NYC and Organic @ Firehouse in New Haven, CT

This is a must have release. Both groups show unique facets of Wadada's music and the varied ensembles highlight the depth of his compositions. The track that I am thinking of specifically is "South Central L.A. Kulture". The track is played by both ensembles back to back (last track on 1st CD and 1st track on 2nd CD) and it is striking hear the similarities and uniqueness of each version, being thet came from the same material.

While contemporary trumpeters are spouting the merits of "really" getting inside Broadway musicals to understand standards better (seriously?) and hosting marginal events at Lincoln Center, Wadada is busy paving fresh, new ground for the trumpet, the ensemble, improvisation, and music.

Buy it.