After first witnessing a stunning performance by Wadada at the Freedom of the City festival we invited him to Oto for a two day residency where he his incredible sound and unique sensibility fed the heart of two fascinating groups and duos with some of the UK's most creative players. We're really thrilled to have him back performing two sets: a 'string quartet' and Wadada's London Quartet.

SET ONE : String Quartet

Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet
John Coxon - guitar
John Edwards - bass
Phil Wachsmann - violin

SET TWO : London Quartet

Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet
Pat Thomas - piano/keyboard
John Edwards - bass
Mark Sanders - drums

ISHMAEL WADADA LEO SMITH

Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith has been active in the creative contemporary music world for over 30 years. A trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist, composer and improviser, his original theory of jazz and world music has been significant in his musical development as an artist and educator.

Born in Leland, Miss., Smith's early musical life began in high school concert and marching bands. At the age of 13, he became immersed in the Delta Blues and improvisational music traditions. As an improvisor-composer, Smith has studied a variety of music cultures (African, Japanese, Indonesian, European and American) and to fully express this music, he has developed an original theory and notation system for jazz and world music which he calls Ankhrasmation.

Some of the artists Smith has performed with are Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Richard Teitelbaum, Joseph Jarman, George Lewis, Cecil Taylor, Andrew Cyrill, Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Carla Bley, David Murray, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, Milton Campbell, Henry Brant, Richard Davis, Tadao Sawai, Ed Blackwell, Sabu Toyozumi, Peter Kowald, Kazuko Shiraishi, Han Bennink, Misja Mengelberg, Marion Brown, Kazutoki Umezu, Kosei Yamamoto, Charlie Haden, Kang Tae Hwan, Kim Dae Hwan and Tom Buckner, among many others.