The Year of the Elephant is the twenty-fifth studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith which was recorded in 2002 and released on Pi Recordings.[1] It was the second recording by his Golden Quartet featuring pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Jack DeJohnette.[2]
| The Year of the Elephant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2002 | |||
| Recorded | April 18 and 19, 2002 | |||
| Studio | MRS Recording Studio, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 60:30 | |||
| Label | Pi Recordings | |||
| Producer | Wadada Leo Smith | |||
| Wadada Leo Smith chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [4] |
| Tom Hull | B+[5] |
In his review for AllMusic, David R. Adler states "Both Davis and DeJohnette are credited on synthesizer, but the sounds they employ are remarkably close to the old-fashioned, analog Wurlitzer. Combined with Favors' resonant, grooving basslines and DeJohnette's loose straight-eighth rhythms the result is somewhat akin to Miles Davis in the In a Silent Way period."[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz describes the album as "A surprisingly straight-ahead jazz record, strongly influenced by electric-period Miles Davis."[4]
The All About Jazz review by Dan McClenaghan says "Smith's horn work is very Miles-like,the wounded, open horn cry, the plaintive and introspective mute work, the judicious use of silence."[6]
In his review for JazzTimes Duck Baker notes that "Even though '70s Miles is a frequent departure point for The Year of the Elephant, jazz-rock fans may not feel comfortable with the music while listeners who usually have trouble with rock-type rhythms may be amazed to hear them used in such a creative context."[7]
Track listing edit
- All compositions by Wadada Leo Smith
- "Al-Madinah" - 10:01
- "Piru" - 10:51
- "The Zamzam Well a Stream of a Pure Light" - 8:56
- "Kangaroo's Hollow" - 7:06
- "The Year of the Elephant" - 9:19
- "Miles Star in 3 Parts: Star/Seed/Blue Fire" - 14:17
Personnel edit
- Wadada Leo Smith - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Anthony Davis - piano, synthesizer
- Malachi Favors - bass
- Jack DeJohnette - drums, synthesizer
References edit
- ^ "Wadada Leo Smith discography". Jazz Lists. jazzlists.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ The Year of the Elephant at Pi Recordings
- ^ a b Adler, David R.. Wadada Leo Smith - The Year of the Elephant: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). London: Penguin. pp. 1211. ISBN 0141023279.
- ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Wadada Leo Smith". Tom Hull. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ McClenaghan, Dan. The Year of the Elephant review at All About Jazz
- ^ Baker, Duck. The Year of the Elephant review at JazzTimes