Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith, Marcus Gilmore - Murasaki (2025)

A powerful intergenerational trio emerges on Murasaki, featuring Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet, Marcus Gilmore on drums, and Jakob Bro on guitar. Recorded at Power Station (formerly Avatar Studios) in New York, this exploratory session unfolded spontaneously—no retakes, no discussions, just a shared musical language rooted in intuition and trust. “It felt as though this music already existed before we started playing,” Bro reflects. Murasaki captures the creative summit of three visionary artists, each pushing beyond the boundaries of form and genre. This marks Wadada Leo Smith’s final European tour appearance, with select live dates in Berlin, Antwerp, Reykjavik and Copenhagen in November.

…the material is spacious, devoid of any obvious time signature and composed by all three musicians, often including improvisation. “Sonic Mountains” features Smith’s powerful blasts before the trumpeter drops out midway, allowing room for Bro’s chimed, minimalist chording and Gilmore’s creative cymbal accents.

“Yoyogi Park Dream” features Marcus Gilmore’s brush work among Jakob Bro’s dreamy, effects-laden accompaniment, and brass expressionism that proves Wadada Leo Smith’s lungs are at full capacity at age 83.

The best of the co-composed pieces is “Heart Language,” Bro’s elegant intro and call-and-response lines meshing with Smith as Gilmore creates a supple undercurrent. Smith contributes one composition, his solo piece “Chronicles of Bending — Air Columns and Fire Discourses” making the listener want to hear more than its one minute and 37 seconds.

But Smith and Gilmore’s co-composed “Imagine the Fire and Flames That Light Up the Light World” makes up for any perceived slight. Clocking in at more than eight minutes, the track seems to encapsulate free jazz’s past, present and future." – Jazztimes

Nov. 8 : Pierre Boulez Saal, Berlin
Nov. 9 : De Singel, Antwerp
Nov. 11 : Loveland Music Festival, Copenhagen
> feat. Joe Lovano
Nov. 16 : Jazztopad Festival @ Narodowe Forum Muzyki, Wrocław
> feat. Midori Takada & Polish Cello Quartet
Nov. 18 : IÐNÓ, Reykjavik
> feat. Skúli Sverrisson & Matthías Hemstock
credits
released October 3, 2025

Tracklist
Side A
1. Winnowing One
2. Sonic Mountains
3. Yoyogi Park Dream
4. Chronicles of Bending - Air Columns and Fire Discourses
Side B
1. Heart Language
2. Imagine the Fire and Flames that Lights Up the Light World
3. Winnowing Two


All songs by Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith & Marcus Gilmore

Wadada Leo Smith: Trumpet
Marcus Gilmore: Drums
Jakob Bro: Guitar

Recorded at Power Station, New York, January 2025
Engineer: James Farber
Assistant engineer: Ben Miller

Mixed by Thomas Vang at The Village Recording
Mastered by David Elberling The Village Studio B

Artwork: Tal R
Cover Design: Claus Due
Produced by Jakob Bro