''Wisdom in Time'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) is an American trumpeter and composer, working primarily in the fields of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation. He was one of three finalists for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for ''Ten Free ...

and German drummer Günter Baby Sommer, which was recorded in 2006 and released on the Swiss Intakt label.''Wisdom in Time''
at Intakt

Background

Wadada Leo Smith and Günter Baby Sommer first met at the "Flöz" in West Berlin in 1979. They played many concerts as a trio with bassist

Peter Kowald Peter Kowald (21 April 1944 – 21 September 2002) was a German free jazz and free improvising double bassist and tubist. Career A member of the Globe Unity Orchestra, and a touring double-bass player, Kowald collaborated with many European ...

and recorded the albums ''Touch the Earth'' and ''Break the Shells'' on the FMP label. Smith and Sommer were reunited at the 2005 Total Music Meeting in Berlin, accompanied by bassist

Barre Phillips Barre Phillips (born October 27, 1934, in San Francisco, California, United States) is an American jazz bassist. A professional musician since 1960, he moved to New York City in 1962, then to Europe in 1967. Since 1972, he has been based in south ...

. In May 2006 they went on a tour of German cities with a final stop at the Taktlos Festival in Zürich. Then, the trumpeter and the drummer recorded ''Wisdom in Time'' in a Swiss studio. The piece "Bass-Star Hemispheres" is dedicated to Peter Kowald.Original Liner Notes by Oliver Schwerdt

Reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' notes that "Smith's name is listed first, and the trumpet is usually the dominant voice, but it's Sommer’s delicately nuanced play that one listens to most intently on this wonderful record." The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

review by Eyal Hareuveni states "Sommer's orchestral and super delicate approach completes the serene spiritualism of Smith, and both demonstrate assured playing and compassionate and imaginative interplay. It is quite a departure from the dense and urgent textures they played with Kowald, but at the same time this is a heartfelt homage to the irreplaceable bassist."Hareuveni, Eyal
''Wisdom in Time'' review
at

The Point of Departure review by Bill Shoemaker says "Both Smith and Sommer make instant reads; the music does not just coalesce as a result, but takes on an edge. It's impressive how they immediately dive into the deep end, and then, in mid-flight, make sudden, impeccably timed changes in direction."Shoemaker, Bill
''Wisdom in Time'' review
at Point of Departure

Track listing

:''All compositions by Wadada Leo Smith & Günter Baby Sommer'' # "A Sonic Voice Inclosed in the Wind" - 5:43 # "Tarantella Rusticana" - 6:58 # "Pure Stillness" - 5:39 # "Gassire's Lute" - 8:55 # "Woodland Trail to the Giants" - 8:08 # "Bass-Star Hemispheres" - 11:52 # "Rain Cycles" - 5:10 # "Old Times Roll - New Times Goal" - 5:27 # "A Silent Letter to Someone" - 7:28

Personnel

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

* Günter Baby Sommer -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums Wadada Leo Smith albums Günter Sommer albums Intakt Records albums