Wadada Leo Smith - Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs (2019)

Wadada Leo Smith's latest album features "Rosa Parks: Pure Love. An Oratorio of Seven Songs," another extended composition by Smith inspired by the civil rights movement in the United States. This new major work is composed for the iconic civil rights hero Rosa Parks (1913-2005) and performed by three vocalists, a double-quartet and a drummer with electronics. Rosa Parks: Pure Love features three vocalists, one African-American (Karen Parks), one Asian (Min Xiao-Fen) and one Latina (Carmina Escobar), performing together with a string quartet (RedKoral Quartet that has performed with Smith since the recording of Ten Freedom Summers), a trumpet quartet (BlueTrumpet Quartet featuring Smith with Ted Daniel, Hugh Ragin and Graham Haynes), a drum-set (Pheeroan akLaff) and electronics (Hardedge) as well as video in live performance. "The oratorio is composed for the iconic Rosa Parks, a person of exceptional courage and wisdom, who made the right move of resistance at the right time," says Smith. "Her action generated a movement worldwide for liberty and justice for human beings." Embedded in the oratorio are brief excerpts from early recordings by Smith, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins and Steve McCall, the four musicians who made up the legendary ensemble known as the Creative Construction Company some fifty years ago.

Personnel: Wadada Leo Smith, composer, trumpet; Karen Parks, vocalist; Min Xiao-Fen, vocalist; Carmina Escobar, vocalist; Shalini Vijayan, violin; Mona Thian, violin; Andrew McIntosh, viola; Ashley Walters, cello; Ted Daniels, trumpet; Hugh Ragin, trumpet; Graham Haynes, cornet; Pheeroan akLaff, drum-set; Hardedge, electronic;