Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith’s Taif: Prayer in the Garden of the Hijaz was commissioned and premiered at Other Minds Festival 13 (2008). Scored for trumpet, percussion, and string quartet, the work is a sonic supplication to the Creator, concerning an individual’s weaknesses. Reflective, meditative, and contemplative, this work, according to the composer, is best heard rather than described.

Recorded live in concert at Other Minds Festival 13 at Kanbar Hall, Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, California, on March 6, 2008. World Premiere Recording © 2008 Kiom Music (ASCAP). Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Trumpet; Anthony Brown, Percussion; Del Sol String Quartet.

* OM Live downloads include pdf booklet and cover image

1 · Taif: Prayer in the Garden of Hijaz (27:57)