Snakish

2005 studio album by Wadada Leo Smith

Snakish

Studio album by

Wadada Leo Smith

Released

August 23, 2005

Recorded

2003–2004

Studio

Zerkall, Los Angeles

Genre

Jazz

Length

47:36

Label

Leo Records CD LR 435

Producer

Leo Feigin, Mark Nauseef, Miroslav Tadic, Walter Quintus

Wadada Leo Smith chronology

Saturn, Conjunct the Grand Canyon in a Sweet Embrace
(2004)

Snakish
(2005)

Compassion
(2006)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[2]

Snakish is a studio album by jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith recorded with Walter Quintus, Katya Quintus, Miroslav Tadić , and Mark Nauseef. The record was released on August 23, 2005 via Leo label.^[3]^[4] 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.^[5]

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."^[6]

Scott Yanow of Allmusic 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."^[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mark Nauseef, Walter Quintus, Miroslav Tadic

No.	Title	Length
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 Wama"	5:25
9.	"Speeds Per Coil"	3:12
10.	"Neither Liquid nor Gaseous, Torn"	3:58
11.	"Gold Green Melt"	4:04
12.	"Gangah Wallah"	5:09
13.	"Rivers of Swans"	3:03
14.	"Coiling"	3:31
Total length:		47:36

Personnel

Band

Wadada Leo Smith – trumpet
Mark Nauseef – cover design, electronics, percussion, producer
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

^ Yanow, Scott. "Wadada Leo Smith Snakish". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1311. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
^ "Wadada Leo Smith discography". Jazz Lists. jazzlists.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
^ "Wadada Leo Smith / Walter Quintus / Katya Quintus / Miroslav Tadić / Mark Nauseef – Snakish". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
^ "Snakish". Leo Records. leorecords.com. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
^ Taylor, Derek (June 26, 2005). "Dusted Review". Dusted Magazine. dustedmagazine.com. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
^ Yanow, Scott. "Wadada Leo Smith Snakish". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 June 2018.