''Snakish'' is a studio album by jazz trumpeter

Wadada Leo Smith Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith (born December 18, 1941) 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 ...

recorded with Walter Quintus, Katya Quintus, Miroslav Tadić, and

Mark Nauseef Mark Nauseef (born June 11, 1953) is an American drummer and percussionist who has enjoyed a varied career, ranging from rock music during the 1970s with his time as a member of the Ian Gillan Band and, temporarily with Thin Lizzy when Brian D ...

. The record was released on August 23, 2005 via Leo label. The album contains 15 short compositions written by bandmembers. The official catalogue explains that "this music can be a hint of what Miles Davis might have achieved in his later years had he been able to rise above the banalities of rock and jazz fusion".

Reception

Derek Taylor of ''Dusted Magazine'' wrote "The program relies a bit too resolutely on ambiance and atmospherics at the expense of a consistent narrative thrust. Others followers of Smith may find otherwise, but I found portions of this set a puzzling bore. The variegated parts just don't quite congeal into a cohesive and momentous whole. While Smith's career is hardly on the wane, this date feels like a misstep when pondered against what's come prior."

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

noted "This set of short sketches features the rather unusual instrumentation of trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, guitarist Miroslav Tadic, Mark Naussef on percussion and electronics, the voice of Katya Quintus, and Walter Quintus' computer sounds. The program of sound explorations is occasionally colorful but often seems random, with Smith's trumpet being a bit inspired by 1970s Miles Davis while all of the musicians apparently focused on making unusual sounds. The brevity of the individual selections is a good thing, for few of the pieces develop beyond their original mood and tone colors. Overall, it seems a bit overly clinical to these ears, but some listeners may enjoy these eccentric sounds."

Track listing

Personnel

Band *Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet *Mark Nauseef – cover design, electronics, percussion, producer *Kayta Quintus - voice *Walter Quintus – computers, engineer, mastering, mixing, image manipulation, processing, producer *Miroslav Tadic – cover design, guitar (baritone), guitar (classical), image manipulation, producer Production *Leo Feigin – producer *Scott Groller – photography *Naoju Nakamura – photography

References

{{Authority control Wadada Leo Smith albums 2005 collaborative albums