| Procession of the Great Ancestry | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | February 28, 1983 | |||
| Studio | Acme Recording, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 47:15 | |||
| Label | Nessa | |||
| Producer | Chuck Nessa | |||
| Wadada Leo Smith chronology | ||||
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| reissue cover | ||||
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Procession of the Great Ancestry is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith which was recorded in 1983, first released in 1989 [1] on the English Chief label licensed by Nessa Records and reissued in 2009 on Nessa.
The album includes four compositions dedicated to trumpeters who have inspired Smith (Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Booker Little and Roy Eldridge) and performed by a quartet including vibraphonist Bobby Naughton, bassist Joe Fonda and percussionist Kahil El'Zabar. On two vocal tracks the ensemble is joined by bassist Mchaka Uba and blues guitarist Louis Myers. The final track, "Nuru Light: The Prince of Peace", is a tribute to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and the quartet is joined by tenor saxophonist John Powell. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
| Tom Hull | B+ [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [6] |
In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek writes: "Procession of the Great Ancestry is among Wadada Leo Smith's most obscure, but ultimately most satisfying, recordings. This was the first album to showcase Smith's expansive vision, which included all forms of black music -- from the myriad languages of jazz to gutbucket blues, reggae, and various African folk musics as well as a little R&B groove for measure." [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz states: "'Smith makes no attempt to pastiche any of his musical ancestors. A wonderful record, despite the overcooked poetics." [6]
Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the field of creative music. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Ten Freedom Summers, released on May 22, 2012.
Lester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
3 Compositions of New Jazz is the debut album by Anthony Braxton released in 1968 on the Delmark label. It features performances by Braxton, violinist Leroy Jenkins and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith with pianist Muhal Richard Abrams appearing on two tracks.
Malachi Favors was an American jazz bassist who played with the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Kahil El'Zabar is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer. He regularly records for Delmark Records.
Robert Naughton was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist.
Divine Love is an album by American jazz trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith, recorded in September 1978 and released on ECM the following year. The trio features multi-instrumentalists Dwight Andrews and Bobby Naughton, with guest appearances from trumpeters Lester Bowie and Kenny Wheeler on one track and bassist Charlie Haden on another.
Spirit Catcher is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, recorded in 1979 and released on Nessa Records.
Go in Numbers is an album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith which was recorded live in 1980 and released on the Italian Black Saint label. He leads the New Dalta Akhri, a quartet with Dwight Andrews, Bobby Naughton and Wes Brown.
Reflectativity is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith which was recorded in 2000 and released by Tzadik Records. The album is an extended remake of a recording Smith released on his own label in 1975. This new version features a trio with pianist Anthony Davis and bassist Malachi Favors.
Red Sulphur Sky is a solo album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith which was recorded in 2001 and released on Tzadik Records.
21st Century Union March is an album by Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, a jazz band formed by percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, who is joined by saxophonist Edward Wilkerson and trombonist Joseph Bowie. It was recorded in 1995 and released on the Swedish Silkheart label.
What It Is! is an album by American jazz percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Delmark. It was the debut of a quartet comprising three young players from the school of Chicago's AACM: tenor saxophonist Kevin Nabors, pianist Justin Dillard and bassist Junius Paul. The album includes five originals and two jazz standards by John Coltrane: "Impressions" and "Central Park West".
Love Outside of Dreams is an album by the American jazz percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, recorded in 1997 and released on Delmark. He leads a trio featuring saxophonist David Murray and bassist Fred Hopkins in his last recording session. Murray and El'Zabar cut the duo album Golden Sea in 1989 and Kahil joined David's groups for A Sanctuary Within, The Tip and Jug-A-Lug in the early '90s.
Kabell Years: 1971–1979 is a four-CD box set released on Tzadik Records compiling American jazz trumpeter/composer/inmproviser Wadada Leo Smith's earliest albums which were originally released on his own, privately pressed label Kabell along with additional previously unissued material from the same era. The set includes the previously released material from Creative Music - 1, Reflectativity, Song of Humanity and Solo Music: Ahkreanvention.
If You Want the Kernels You Have to Break the Shells is an album by a free jazz trio consisting of German bassist Peter Kowald, American trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, and German drummer Günter Sommer, which was recorded live in 1981 and released on the German FMP label. The two tracks from the side A of the album were combined on the CD reissue with Touch the Earth, another album by the same trio.
The Great Lakes Suites is a two-disc studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith. The album was released on September 16, 2014, via Finnish TUM Records label.
Budding of a Rose is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith with a large ensemble. The album was recorded in Paris, following a radio performance the day before, and released in 1979 via German Moers Music label.
Prataksis is a collaborative studio album by the jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, the multi-instrumentalist Vinny Golia, and the double bass player Bertram Turetzky. The album was released in 1997 by Golia's Nine Winds Records.
Big M: A Tribute to Malachi Favors is an album by Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio, featuring violinist Billy Bang, that was recorded in Chicago in late 2004 and released on the Delmark label.
