The trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is an extremely prolific composer, and even the discography that appears on his website fails to keep up with him. The most recent recording found there is his oratorio dedicated to Rosa Parks, which dates back to 2019, but a lot has happened since then! The man turned 80 last year, and for the occasion, the TUM Records label released a box set of seven albums, comprising his “First 12” string quartets, and another box set of five discs called The Emerald Duets, which features duos with drummers Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille, Han Bennink, and Jack DeJohnette.
On his own label, Kabell Records, he releases Fire Illuminations where the soloist is placed in the midst of a high-flying ensemble, similar to the one he had on the album Najwa (2017). The ensemble includes three guitarists (Nels Cline, Brandon Ross, and Lamar Smith), two bassists (Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs), a percussionist (Mauro Refosco), a drummer (Pheeroan akLaff), and sound designer Hardedge. Refosco, a member of the New York group Forro in the Dark, is the only new addition among the trumpeter’s collaborators. This talented group comes together on two tracks, the longest ones (nearly 16 minutes each), and the best ones: “Ntozake”, which opens the album, and “Tony Williams” a tribute (not the first) that the trumpeter pays to the legendary Miles Davis drummer. However, we are closer here to the On the Corner or the Live-Evil era, recorded with Jack DeJohnette, than to Filles de Kilimanjaro recorded with Williams. These two pieces, with the entire ensemble, are delightfully groovy, heavy (thanks to Mr. Laswell), and serve as superb vehicles for guitar and trumpet solos.
Two other pieces are recorded as a sextet (minus two guitars and the sound designer): “Muhammad Ali’s Spiritual Horizon” and “Fire Illuminations Inside Light Particles”. The last one, “Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s Rumble in Zaire Africa”, is performed as a quintet (without the percussionist) and gives ample room for Nels Cline’s guitar. These three, shorter and more abstract, also work well, but one returns to the album for the two pieces with the full ensemble. One can easily imagine this record making for an excellent concert.
