Label: Red Hook Records, 2024
Personnel - Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; Amina Claudine Myers: piano, organ.
In their enlightened duo recording, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Amina Claudine Myers venture into magnetic sonic terrain. The album, titled Central Park’s Mosaic of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens, includes seven moving and contemplative tracks - six by Smith and one by Myers - inspired by New York’s Central Park and the world’s urgent need for peace and justice. It marks the first collaboration of these two musicians since their early days in the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians).
Inviting listeners into a world of glistening textures and shared musical imagination, the duo opens with the lyrical and serene “Conservatory Gardens”, whose soulful languidity results from the juxtaposition of an immersive textural harmonization and piercing trumpet cries. This piece ends with glorious constellations of notes freed by Myers on the higher octaves of the keyboard. “Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir” blends the solemnity of the Hammond B3 organ with the candor of muted trumpet, creating a compelling sonic landscape.
The sublime atmosphere continues with “Central Park at Sunset”, where chiaroscuro tonalities evoke an autumnal palette. Myers showcases her classical inclinations and intriguing cluster chords in "When Was," a solo piano recital that balances melody with avant-garde exploration.
The album closes with introspective pieces paying homage to musicians who championed peace and justice: “Albert Ayler, a Meditation in Light” transports listeners to a tonally splendorous universe, while “Imagine, a Mosaic for John Lennon” retains wide spaces and smooth articulation.
Smith and Myers convey a sense of longing with sheer emotion and profound depth while making intelligent use of their instruments. This is a light-emitting album to be revisited many times in the future.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Conservatory Gardens ► 04 - When Was ► 06 - Albert Ayler, a Meditation on Light