ENDEIT
Wadada Leo Smith
Photo: Tom Beetz @ http://home.hetnet.nl/~tbeetz/index.html, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Trumpeters · b. 1941

Wadada Leo Smith

American jazz trumpeter and composer

Born
18 December 1941
Leland
Country
United States
Record labels
Pi Recordings
Discography
56 albums

Biography

Wadada Leo Smith is a jazz musician who plays trumpet. Wadada Leo Smith was born on 18 December 1941 in Leland. The music is usually filed under jazz. Record labels: Pi Recordings. The discography here lists 56 albums, from “Creative Music - 1 (Six Solo Improvisations)” (1971) to “Constellations and Hemispheres” (2026). Honours include Guggenheim Fellowship.

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.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Creative Music - 1 (Six Solo Improvisations) 1971 The Mass On The World 1978 · Moers Music Divine Love 1979 · ECM Records Spirit Catcher 1979 · Nessa Records Touch the Earth 1980 · FMP Go In Numbers 1982 · Black Saint Rastafari 1983 · Sackville
Human Rights 1986
Jah Music 1986
Procession of the Great Ancestry 1989
Cosmos Has Spirit 1992
Kulture Jazz 1993
Tao-Njia 1996
Prataksis 1997
Condor, Autumn Wind 1998 · Live
Interludes of Breath and Substance 1999
Light Upon Light 1999
Dreams and Secrets 2000
Golden Quartet 2000
Grand Oak Trees At Dawn / String Quartet no. 1 / String Quartet no. 3 "Black Church" / Bardsdale 2000
Reflectativity 2000
Red Sulphur Sky 2001
Luminous Axis (Caravans Of Winter And Summer) 2002
50th Birthday Celebration, Volume 8 2004 · Live
Lake Biwa 2004
Snakish 2005
Compassion 2006 · Live
Wisdom in Time 2007
America 2009
Spiritual Dimensions 2009 · Live
The Blue Mountain's Sun Drummer 2010 · Live
Ancestors 2012
Ten Freedom Summers 2012
Occupy the World 2013
Twine Forest 2013
Red Hill 2014
Sonic Rivers 2014 · Tzadik
The Great Lakes Suite 2014
The Stone 2014 · Live
Celestial Weather 2015
Red Chrysanthemums Solos 1977 2015
America's National Parks 2016
Aspiration 2017
Najwa 2017
Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk 2017
Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs 2019
To Be Surrounded by Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough 2020 · Live
Sacred Ceremonies 2021
Sun Beans Of Shimmering Light 2021
Pacifica Koral Reef 2022
String Quartets nos. 1–12 2022
The Emerald Duets 2022
Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens 2024
Constellations and Hemispheres 2026 · Burning Ambulance Music
2004-03-27: Tonic, New York City, NY, USA · Live
Golden Hearts Remembrance

Also plays on

Albums where Wadada Leo Smith is credited as a sideman

1970 Young at Heart / Wise in Time — Muhal Richard Abrams flugelhorn, trumpet
1973 Geechee Recollections — Marion Brown percussion, strings, bass
1976 Creative Orchestra Music 1976 — Anthony Braxton conductor, trumpet
1995 Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 — Anthony Braxton trumpet
1998 Yo, Miles! — Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith trumpet
2003 Organic Resonance — Anthony Braxton and Wadada Leo Smith brass, producer
2004 Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace — Anthony Braxton and Wadada Leo Smith brass, producer
2016 A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke — Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith trumpet
2018 Lebroba — Andrew Cyrille, Wadada Leo Smith, Bill Frisell trumpet

Awards

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument does Wadada Leo Smith play?

Wadada Leo Smith is known for playing trumpet.

When and where was Wadada Leo Smith born?

Wadada Leo Smith was born 18 December 1941 in Leland.

What are Wadada Leo Smith's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Creative Music - 1 (Six Solo Improvisations) (1971), The Mass On The World (1978), Divine Love (1979), Spirit Catcher (1979) and Touch the Earth (1980).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.