The Squid's Ear
Writing about unusual and experimental music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales

Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Wadada Leo Smith's Mbira 
  Dark Lady of the Sonnets
  (Tum) 


  
   review by Paul Serralheiro
  2012-06-25
Wadada Leo Smith's Mbira: Dark Lady of the Sonnets (Tum)

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith's life-long creative exploration of sound has come to a new turn with this meeting with pipa player Min Xiao-Fen and drummer Pheeroam akLaff. Yet with something new there is an extension of the old, as the internationally acclaimed musician's explorations have always been eclectic, from his early days in blues bands, army bands and seminal avant-guard ensembles. A composer since the age of 13, Smith still wears both hats of composer and improviser and brings his two band mates along with him in renditions of compositions designed specifically for this trio.

Mbira, the name of the group derived from the musical tradition of the Shona culture in Zimbabwe, takes up Smith's concept of "rhythm units" composition and in the title track, this is extended to "melodic units...connected in performance by the members of the ensemble," the extensive liner notes tell us.

Added to Smith's strong, distinct, clearly articulated trumpet, is the traditional Chinese pipa, a mandolin-like instrument played here by modern master Min Xiao-Fen, who has performed with orchestras in her native China as well others around the world (she has also been heard in several other settings, including with Bjork on at least one occasion). Xiao-Fen, who adds a supple and expressive alto voice to this project, is also known as a composer, combining traditional Chinese and avant-guard practices in both instrumental and vocal music.

The third member, drummer Pheeroan akLaff, brings a style that is perfectly suited to the "non-metrical" design of Smith's compositions. He keeps a flow of engaging ideas, but lays out for long stretches, as the music requires, so that the textures are surprisingly varied and modulating.

The five pieces were all composed for the session and recorded in 2007 in Finland but released just recently. The central work is the title track, a tribute to Billie Holiday inspired by a poem of the same name by Amiri Baraka. Here words penned by Smith himself are intriguingly intoned by Xiao-Fen. Equally noteworthy is the track dedicated to Smith's mother, "Sarah Bell Wallace," with its two-part lyrical segments. The three other compositions form a smooth segue through the session, which has an understated intensity, created by stark contrasts in texture, shifting rhythmic units, and unpredictable melodic structures.



Wadada Leo Smith's Mbira: Dark Lady of the Sonnets
Is Sold at Squidco!
Squidco




Comments and Feedback:



The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Berlin Art Quartet (
Schubert /
Bauer /
Muller /
Bruggemann):
Live At MIM
(Unisono Records)



Jimmy Lyons:
Rivbea Live! Series,
Volume 3
(NoBusiness)



Erik Klinga:
Elusive Shimmer
(thanatosis produktion)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj /
Mike Majkowski /
Magda Mayas /
Tony Buck):
Love
(thanatosis produktion /
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Brass Clouds:
Escape Vessels
(Bathysphere Records)



Fire! Orchestra:
Echoes
[2 CDs]
(Rune Grammofon)



Sophie Agnel /
John Edwards /
Steve Noble:
Three On A Match
(Otoroku)



Satoko Fujii
This is It! (
w/
Natsuki Tamura /
Takashi Itani):
Message
(Libra)



Sorry For Laughing (
G. Whitlow /
M. Bates /
Dave-Id /
E. Ka-Spel):
Rain Flowers
[2 CDS]
(Klanggalerie)



New Origin (
feat. Christoph Rocher /
Joe Fonda /
Harvey Sorge):
The Poet Walks
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Simon Nabatov:
Agree to Disagree
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Von Schlippenbach, Alexander /
Barry Altschul Quartet w/
Joe Fonda &
Rudi Mahal:
Free Flow
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Thelonious Monk with
Sonny Rollins:
1953 To 1957
Revisited
(ezz-thetics by
Hat Hut Records
Ltd)



Daniel Carter /
Ayumi Ishito /
George Draguns /
Ed Wilcox:
Makeshift Spirituals
(577 Records)



Kory Reeder:
Homestead
(Another Timbre)



John Cage:
Chamber Works 1943-1951
(Another Timbre)



Josh Sinton:
Couloir &
Book Of Practitioners
Vol. 2
Book "W"
[2 CDs]
(FiP recordings)



Elliott Sharp /
Scott Fields:
Reimsi Geara
(Relative Pitch)



KnCurrent (
Brennan /
Cooper-Moore /
Davis /
Hwang):
KnCurrent
(Deep Dish)



Biota:
Measured Not Found
(Recommended Records)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (31423)