An innovative, much-admired trumpeter and composer for half a century, Wadada Leo Smith presents an expansive, politically charged suite that pays tribute to America’s national parks as well as cultural zones not yet recognized by the government. Pairing his Golden Quintet (Pheeroan akLaff, drums; Silvie Courvoisier, piano; John Lindberg, bass; and Ashley Walters, cello) and special guest, drummer Andrew Cyrille, with spellbinding video throughout, Smith explores and questions the luminous majesty, cultural histories, and violent realities of our natural areas—whether preserved, unprotected, or under attack.
The performance is on Saturday, March 30, at 8pm in the McGuire Theater. Tickets are $30 ($24 Walker members).
Listen to America’s National Parks
Read the New York Times on Wadada Leo Smith
Read Q&A with Downbeat magazine
ABOUT WADADA LEO SMITH
Mississippi native, composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith has been a leading figure in creative music for over 40 years and continues to perform at major venues throughout the world. An early member of the AACM, he formed his own label, Kabell, in 1971 and has since been featured on more than 50 albums as a leader. His diverse discography reveals a recorded history centered around important issues that have impacted his world, exploring the social, natural and political environment of his times with passion and fierce intelligence. A finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Smith received the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award and earned an honorary doctorate from CalArts, where he was also celebrated as Faculty Emeritus. In addition, he received the Hammer Museum’s 2016 Mohn Award for Career Achievement “honoring brilliance and resilience,” and in 2018 he received the Religion and The Arts Award from the American Academy of Religion. The New York Review of Books notes that Smith is “one of our most powerful storytellers, an heir to American chroniclers like Charles Ives and Ornette Coleman.”