Ten Freedom Summers
Wadada Leo Smith’s new piece for the Golden Quartet w/ Angelica Sanchez (piano) , John Lindberg (bass) and Pheeroan akLaff (drums), commissioned by FONT and premiering at Le Poisson Rouge on June 5. Don’t miss.
Festival Of New Trumpet presents the NYC premiere of trumpeter/composer Wadada Leo Smith’s Ten Freedom Summers, a three-part suite dedicated to the American civil rights movement between 1954-1964: “Brown v. Board of Education” (equal protection, 1954); “Little Rock Nine” (desegregation in education, 1957); and “Freedom Summer” (voter registration, 1964). Born in Leland, Mississippi in 1941, Smith had a first-hand view of the revolutionary activities that inspired this work. The piece is written specifically for the musicians in Smith’s signature ensemble, the Golden Quartet; an ensemble of master composer/performers, whose experimental practice utilizes the quartet form, considered by Smith the purest foundation of musical expression in jazz/creative music and western music culture. The appearance of Wadada Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet is made possible by Chamber Music America’s Presenting Jazz program, and Smith’s composition Ten Freedom Summers was commissioned through the CMA program New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development. Both programs are supported through the generosity ofthe Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
June 05, 2011 6:30PM
Le Poisson Rouge [map]
This is a first-come, first-served partially seated event. Seating is limited and not guaranteed, please arrive early.