Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the field of creative music. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Ten Freedom Summers, released on May 22, 2012.

Biography

Smith was born in Leland, Mississippi, United States.

Discography

thumb|Wadada Leo Smith, Vision XIII Festival

As leader/co-leader

  • 1972: Creative Music - 1 (Kabell)
  • 1975: Reflectativity (Kabell)
  • 1977: Song of Humanity (Kabell)
  • 1978: The Mass on the World (Moers)
  • 1979: Solo Music: Ahkreanvention (Kabell)
  • 1979: Divine Love (ECM)
  • 1979: Budding of a Rose (Moers)
  • 1979: Spirit Catcher (Nessa)
  • 1980: Touch the Earth (FMP)
  • 1982: Go in Numbers (Black Saint)
  • 1982: Human Rights (Kabell)
  • 1983: If You Want the Kernels You Have to Break the Shells (FMP)
  • 1983: Procession of the Great Ancestry (Nessa, 1989)
  • 1983: Rastafari (Sackville)
  • 1993: Kulture Jazz (ECM)
  • 1996: Tao-Njia (Tzadik)
  • 1997: Golden Hearts Remembrance with N'da Kulture (Chap Chap, 2020)
  • 1997: Prataksis (Ninewinds)
  • 1998: Condor, Autumn Wind (Wobbly Rail)
  • 1999: Light Upon Light (Tzadik)
  • 2000: Reflectativity (Tzadik)
  • 2000: Golden Quartet (Tzadik)
  • 2001: Red Sulphur Sky (Tzadik)
  • 2002: The Year of the Elephant (Pi)
  • 2002: Luminous Axis (Tzadik)
  • 2003: Organic Resonance (Pi)
  • 2004: Lake Biwa (Tzadik)
  • 2004: Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace (Pi)
  • 2005: Snakish (Leo)
  • 2006: Compassion (Meta/Kabell)
  • 2007: Wisdom in Time (Intakt)
  • 2008: Tabligh (Cuneiform)
  • 2009: America (Tzadik)
  • 2009: Spiritual Dimensions (Cuneiform)
  • 2009: Abbey Road Quartet (Treader)
  • 2010: The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer (Kabell)
  • 2011: Heart's Reflections (Cuneiform)
  • 2011: Dark Lady of the Sonnets (TUM)
  • 2011: Nessuno with Pauline Oliveros Roscoe Mitchell John Tilbury (IDA 035 – 2016)
  • 2012: Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
  • 2012: Ancestors (TUM)
  • 2013: Occupy the World (TUM)
  • 2014: Sonic Rivers (Tzadik) with George E. Lewis and John Zorn
  • 2014: Red Hill (RareNoise) with Jamie Saft, Joe Morris and Balazs Pandi
  • 2014: The Great Lakes Suites (TUM)
  • 2023: The Nile (Hardedge) with Hardedge
  • 2014: June 6th 2013 (Novara Jazz) with Eco D'Alberi
  • 2015: Celestial Weather (TUM) with John Lindberg
  • 2016: A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke (ECM) with Vijay Iyer
  • 2016: America's National Parks (Cuneiform)
  • 2017: Najwa (TUM)
  • 2017: Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk (TUM)
  • 2017: Aspiration with Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, Ikue Mori
  • 2018: The Haunt with Bobby Naughton and Perry Robinson
  • 2020: Pacific Light and Water/Wu Xing – Cycle of Destruction with Barry Schrader
  • 2021: Sun Beans of Shimmering Light with Douglas Ewart, Mike Reed
  • 2021: Trumpet (TUM) solo trumpet
  • 2021: Sacred Ceremonies (TUM) with Milford Graves and Bill Laswell
  • 2021: The Chicago Symphonies (TUM)
  • 2021: A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday (TUM) with Jack DeJohnette and Vijay Iyer
  • 2022: String Quartets Nos. 1–12 (TUM)
  • 2022: The Emerald Duets (TUM) with Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink and Jack DeJohnette
  • 2022: Two Centuries (Red Hook) with Qasim Naqvi and Andrew Cyrille
  • 2023: Fire Illuminations (Red Hook) with Orange Wave Electric
  • 2024: Dét, som ikke kan kaldes tilbage (ILK Music) with Søren Nørbo and Kresten Osgood
  • 2024: Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Garden (Red Hook) with Amina Claudine Myers

Compilations

  • Kabell Years: 1971–1979 (Tzadik, 2004) – collects Creative Music – 1, Reflectativity, Song of Humanity, and Solo Music: Ahkreanvention along with additional material

As sideman

With Muhal Richard Abrams

  • Young at Heart/Wise in Time (Delmark, 1974)

With Marion Brown

  • Geechee Recollections (Impulse!, 1973)

With Anthony Braxton

  • 3 Compositions of New Jazz (Delmark, 1968)
  • Silence (Freedom, 1969 [1975]) with Leroy Jenkins
  • Anthony Braxton (BYG Actuel, 1969)
  • This Time... (BYG Actuel, 1970)
  • Trio and Duet (Sackville, 1974)
  • Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976)
  • Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 (hatART, 1978 [1995])

With Creative Construction Company

  • Creative Construction Company (Muse, 1970 [1975])
  • Creative Construction Company Vol. II (Muse, 1970 [1976])

With Andrew Cyrille

  • Lebroba (ECM, 2018)

With Leroy Jenkins

  • For Players Only (JCOA Records, 1975)

With Henry Kaiser

  • Yo, Miles!(Shanachie, 1998)
  • Sky Garden (Cuneiform, 2004)
  • Upriver (Cuneiform, 2004)

With Bill Laswell

  • The stone (2014)

With Frank Lowe

  • The Flam (Black Saint, 1975)

With Maurice McIntyre

  • Humility in the Light of the Creator (Delmark, 1969)

With Roscoe Mitchell

  • Sketches from Bamboo (Moers Music, 1979)

With Matthew Shipp

  • New Orbit (Thirsty Ear, 2001)

With Spring Heel Jack

  • The Sweetness of the Water (Thirsty Ear, 2004)
  • Hackney Road (Treader, 2018) with Pat Thomas and Steve Noble

With John Zorn

  • 50th Birthday Celebration Volume 8 (Tzadik, 2003)
  • The Unknown Masada (Tzadik, 2003)

References