Snakish
Wadada Leo Smith · 2005
47 min · 14 tracks · jazz
A sonic exploration that intertwines free jazz improvisation with evocative melodic lines and complex rhythmic structures.
Top tracks — play these first
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Uncoiling — The opening track sets a meditative tone with its sparse instrumentation, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in Smith's nuanced phrasing and tonal exploration.
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Over the Influence — This track showcases Smith’s ability to blend structured melodies with free-form improvisation, demonstrating his mastery of tension and release within a compact duration.
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Gold Green Melt — Here, Smith experiments with layered textures and dynamic contrasts, creating a rich auditory landscape that encapsulates the essence of the album's adventurous spirit.
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Rivers of Swans — This piece highlights Smith’s lyrical trumpet style, using long tones to evoke imagery while maintaining a fluid conversational interplay with the accompanying musicians.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
InstrumentalThe album showcases complex improvisation and unique melodic structures, marking it as a standout in avant-garde jazz.
What we noticed
- Each track varies significantly in length, with some pieces exceeding ten minutes, allowing for deep exploration of themes.
- Melodic lines are frequently introduced by Smith's trumpet and then deconstructed through collective improvisation by the ensemble.
- Composition 25% of the score
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8/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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8/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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9/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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6/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- wave-like pacing with peaks
- immersive trumpet improvisations
- dynamic flow of textures
- short explorations of sound
Maybe skip if you
- seeking straightforward song structures
- prefer longer cohesive pieces
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 2005, 'Snakish' is Wadada Leo Smith's follow-up to the acclaimed 'Wisdom in Time'. At this point in his career, Smith had solidified his reputation as a pioneering figure in avant-garde jazz and was deeply involved in exploring the intersections between sound and visual art, which is reflected in this album's intricate compositions.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Henry Threadgill· Anthony Braxton· Roscoe Mitchell
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Uncoiling 2:36
- 2 Cosmoil 3:37
- 3 Disembodyism 1:10
- 4 Over the Influence 2:55
- 5 Yopo 4:20
- 6 Black Bell Mother 2:39
- 7 Majounish 1:57
- 8 Kawami Mama 5:25
- 9 Speeds Per Coil 3:12
- 10 Neither Liquid nor Gaseous, Tom 3:58
- 11 Gold Green Melt 4:04
- 12 Gangah Wallah 5:09
- 13 Rivers of Swans 3:03
- 14 Coiling 3:31
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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