Jul 26, 2025, 7:30 PM

Live Concert: Wadada Leo Smith and N'da Kulture, Beauford Delaney: The Artist Untitled Red Bar

The Drawing Center's exhibition In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney will be accompanied by a special musical performance by legendary trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and his ensemble N'da Kulture. This evening of music will draw inspiration from Delaney's works on paper and Smith's personal connection to the artist, whom he met in Paris in 1969.

Known as a key figure in the field of "Creative Music," Smith is a trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and author recognized for his distinctive musical language. For this performance, Smith will debut a new musical composition titled Beauford Delaney: The Artist Untitled Red Bar, inspired by Delaney's drawing Untitled (Red Bar), 1962. Smith explains his choice: "I chose Beauford's Untitled (Red Bar) because when I observed it in the gallery, it immediately stood out as an easy entrance for inspiration in composing an honorary piece for him. The idea of the red bar in his drawing reflects the truly spiritual and organic nature of how to think about a red bar, even when it is untitled."

For this performance, Smith's N'da Kulture will feature Smith (trumpet), Tom Chiu (violin), Joe Fonda (double bass and concert flute), Luke Stewart (double bass), and Eli Keszler (drums).

Wadada Leo Smith

Known as a key figure in the field of "Creative Music", Smith is a trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer/performer and author recognized for his distinctive music language. Ankhrasmation is a symbolic image-based language for performers or musicians. He started his research and designs in search of Ankhrasmation in 1965, and his first realization of this language was in 1967, when it was illustrated in the recording of The Bell (Anthony Braxton: ‘Three Compositions of New Jazz’). Ankhrasmation has played a significant role in Wadada’s development as an artist, ensemble leader and educator. He has been a member of the legendary AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to music and his work with various ensembles like the Golden Quartet and Silver Orchestra, and more recently, Revolutionary Fire-Love and Radio Light. Smith's diverse discography reveals a recorded history of music centered in the idea of spiritual harmony and the unification of social and cultural issues of his world.