Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tania Chen, Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, William Wina...

Tania Chen, Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith, William Winant: Ocean of Storms

By C. Michael Bailey
February 4, 2017
View read count

If, for no other reason than Wadada Leo Smith rears his predominant head, this recording should be considered. Within the electronic walls of All About Jazz, one can forgive me for having not paid proper tribute to Smith's exceptional America's National Parks (Cuneiform Records, 2016) since no less than five colleagues did. I am a late comer to Smith, whose pan-artistic approach is so enormous I have shied away from taking it on. We have lived in a post-John Cage world since the first performance of "4'33."" Space, time, and silence long ago became as important as the tones themselves, and that is what I believe is the point of Ocean of Storms.

Tacitly, Ocean of Storms has no leader. Pianist

Tania Chen

" data-original-title="" title="">Tania Chen, guitarist

Henry Kaiser

guitar
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Kaiser, percussionist

William Winant

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">William Winant and Smith receive equal billing on this collection of five completely improvised recitals. The recording grew out of Smith's long relationship with Kaiser, one that begun 40 years previously with a Smith-composed guitar duet at the behest of Kaiser. A single day in Fantasy Studios, September 19, 2015 resulted in this hour-long exploration of the edge where music becomes thought. Five extended ruminations make up this recording. Each pits the broad-minded musicians against silence apace and one another. Smith divines every possible sound from his trumpet, whether muted or open bell. Kaiser coaxes an impressive array of tactile colors from his acoustic harp guitar. A brief conversation with Kaiser emphasized that, "it's all just 4 people playing live in a room." The pieces begin quiet and thoughtfully with "Bay of Honor" increasing with anxiety until the sonic Armageddon that is "Al-Kwarizimi." I am unsure that I would even call this music. I think it is what may come after music. Ocean of Storms is where "breathe becomes air" and the creative knife edge grows so sharp, electrons are liberated, folding in on themselves.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Bay of Honor; Sea of Crisis; Lake of Time; Montes Spitzbergen; Al-Kwarizimi

Personnel

Wadada Leo Smith

trumpet

Tania Chen: piano; Henry Kaiser: Guitar; Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet; William Winant: percussion.

Album information

Title: Ocean of Storms | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

No Parking Any Time
< Previous

The Grateful Dead 50th Anniversary D...
Next >

Wadada Leo Smith Concerts

Oct 17 Fri

Vilnius Jazz 2025: Wadada Leo Smith - Sylvie Courvoisier...

Vilnius Old Theatre
Vilnius, Lithuania

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.