Wadada Leo Smith - Ten Freedom Summers 4CD (2012)

Lauded as one of the most vital musicians on the planet by Coda, and "one of the most imaginative and explorative composers in creative music." by John Zorn, 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 most distinctive trumpet players of our time.

Spread out over four discs, Ten Freedom Summers is based on the Civil Rights Movement in the USA and Wadada Leo Smith has been working on it on and off for over 30 years. It features performances by his Golden Quartet/Quintet and a small chamber ensemble, including Anthony Davis, John Lindberg, Pheeroan AkLaaf, Susie Ibarra and others. Wadada's previous albums on Cuneiform have been extremely strong sellers and have received huge critical acclaim and strong radio play and Ten Freedom Summers is not only a truly remarkable recording, it is Wadada s piece de resistance of his musical accomplishments. Having recently turned 70 and more active now than anytime in his career, with Ten Freedom Summers , Wadada Leo Smith continues to point forward in his work.

Tracklist:

CD1

1 Dred Scott: 1857 11:11
2 Malik Al Shabazz and the People of the Shahada 5:15
3 Emmett Till: Defiant, Fearless 18:02
4 Thurgood Marshall and Brown vs. Board of Education: A Dream of Equal Education, 1954 16:06
5 John F. Kennedy's New Frontier and the Space Age, 1960 22:12

CD2

1 Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 381 Days 12:43
2 Black Church 16:34
3 Freedom Summer: Voter Registration, Acts of Compassion and Empowerment, 1964 12:32
4 Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 24:12

CD3

1 The Freedom Riders Ride 16:42
2 Medgar Evers: A Love-Voice of a Thousand Years Journey For Liberty and Justice 10:23
3 The D.C. Wall: A War Memorial For All Times 12:18
4 Buzzsaw: The Myth of a Free Press 15:02
5 The Little Rock Nine: A Force For Desegregation In Education, 1957 13:50

CD4

1 America, Parts 1, 2 & 3 14:14
2 September 11th, 2001: A Memorial 9:30
3 Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, 1964 9:06
4 Democracy 14:30
5 Martin Luther King, Jr.: Memphis, the Prophecy 20:34

Personnel:

Golden Quartet / Quintet:
Anthony Davis, piano;
Susie Ibarra - Pheeroan akLaff, drums;
John Lindberg, bass;
Wadada Leo Smith, trumpet.

Southwest Chamber Music:
Alison Bjorkedal, harp;
Jim Foschia, clarinet;
Lorenz Gamma, violin;
Peter Jacobson, cello;
Larry Kaplan, flute;
Jan Karlin, viola;
Tom Peters, bass;
Lynn Vartan, percussion;
Shalini Vijayan, violin;

Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor.