Defiant Life

The cross-generational dialogue between trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Vijay Iyer happened a mere month before the 2016 election, the spare and contemplative A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke. The climes have shifted drastically for their follow-up, Defiant Life. Like Don Cherry before him, Smith brings laser focus not just to the ground beneath his feet, but also to the world burning around him. That doesn’t mean he rushes the space on “Sumud,” the breath-taking 12-minute composition whose title translates to the Palestinian belief in “steadfast perseverance.” Iyer explores a ruminative mood on electric Rhodes, as Smith sits on such undulating bass tones, then takes a high, arcing flight on the poignant “Kite (for Refaat Alareer).” Just don’t mistake such shimmering elegance for a simple starry-skied ambience. It’s also the sound of a person scanning the landscape of home, since burned to dust.