Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith was originally scheduled to perform with pianist Vijay Iyer, with whom he released the album Defiant Life last year and with whom he previously collaborated in his acclaimed Golden Quartet. Unfortunately, Iyer had to withdraw due to illness, but his replacement, American guitarist Mary Halvorson, is certainly no second choice. Halvorson and Smith are two of the most visionary and influential figures in modern creative music and avant-garde jazz and have both received numerous awards, including the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. Their paths have crossed regularly through collaborations with the same musicians, including pianist Sylvie Courvoisier. Halvorson leads several of her own groups, including her sextet Amaryllis, and was named Best Guitarist three times in a row by jazz magazine DownBeat. Pulitzer Prize finalist Smith is a musicologist and one of the most adventurous trumpeters of our time; the same DownBeat called him “one of the 80 coolest things in jazz today.”
