Light Upon Light (album)

Light Upon Light
Studio album by Wadada Leo Smith
Released	1999
Studio	Capital Recording, Los Angeles, CalArts, Valencia, California
Genre	Jazz
Length	52:17
Label	Tzadik
Producer	Wadada Leo Smith
Wadada Leo Smith chronology
Condor, Autumn Wind (1998) Light Upon Light (1999) Reflectativity (2000)

Light Upon Light is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith which was released in 1999 on the Tzadik Records' Composer Series.^[1][2][3] The album includes a composition for chamber ensemble and gamelan quartet, a solo piece for viola, a bass concerto written for Bert Turetzky and two electronic pieces.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[6]

In her review for AllMusic, Joslyn Layne states "Wadada Leo Smith's second recording for the Tzadik label, Light Upon Light, is more spacious and a little colder than his first, Tao-Njia."^[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Wadada Leo Smith.

1. "Moths, Flames and the Giant Sequoia Redwood Trees" - 15:33
2. "Hetep: Serenity: Tranquility 2" - 8:05
3. "Multiamerica" - 10:27
4. "Nur: Luminous, Light Upon Light" - 14:01
5. "A Thousand Cranes: A Memorial for Amir Hamzehi" - 4:11

Personnel

Moths, Flames and the Giant Sequoia Redwood Trees

• Stephen "Lucky" Mosko – conductor
• Dorothy Stone – piccolo flute, alto flute
• Martin Walker – clarinet, bass clarinet
• Arthur Jarvinen – vibraphone, Tibetan temple bells, hi-hat cymbale-sets, axatse, large bass drum
• Vicki Ray – piano
• Robin Lorentz – violin
• Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick – cello
• I. Nyoman Wenten – gender barung
• Joh Parsons – gender panembung
• I. Wayhan Budha – kempul, gong ageng
• Wadada Leo Smith – kenong

Hetep Serenity Tranquility 2

• Karen Elaine Bakunin – viola

Multiamerica

• Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet
• Mark Trayle – electronics
• Harumi Makino Smith – poetry

Nur Luminous, Light Upon Light

• David Rosenboom – conductor
• Bertram Turetzky – double bass
• Dorothy Stone – piccolo, alto flute
• Allen Vogel – oboe
• Bill Powell – clarinet, bass clarinet
• Arthur Jarvinen – marimba
• Vicki Ray – celesta
• Brian Pezzone – harmonium
• Robin Lorentz – violin
• Karen Elaine Bakunin – viola
• Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick – cello

A Thousand Cranes A Memorial for Amir Hamzehi

• Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet
• Mark Trayle – electronics

References

1. "Reader Top Ten Picks". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc.: 59 10 January 2000. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
2. Bivins, Jason (2015). Spirits Rejoice!: Jazz and American Religion. Oxford University Press. p. 342. ISBN 9780190230913. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
3. "Wadada Leo Smith discography". Jazz Lists. jazzlists.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
4. Light Upon Light at Wadada Leo Smith
5. Layne, Joslyn. Wadada Leo Smith - Light Upon Light: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
6. Cook, Richard. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. p. 1278. Retrieved 31 August 2020.