Pianist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith had already collaborated in Smith’s acclaimed Golden Quartet when last year, they joined forces for their album Defiant Life. It’s a minimalist, atmospheric musical interpretation of their philosophical conversations about the dangerous state of the world and their belief in human potential. Iyer was a musical prodigy and thinking outside the box is clearly one of his specialties. DownBeat magazine named him Artist of the Year in 2015. Pulitzer Prize finalist Smith is one of the most adventurous trumpeters of our time; DownBeat recognized him as “one of the 80 coolest things in jazz today.” In addition, Smith is a musicologist. His theory of jazz and world music and his creative notation system Ankhrasmation have made him well-known. Together, Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith create powerful and distinctive music.
