Wadada Leo Smith is a jazz composer and trumpet player who grew up in Mississippi, where such legends as B. B. King inspired the young trumpeter. With his notational system of Ankrahsmation, he translates the freedom of improvisation into a completely democratic music – Smith’s notation is no different for a jazz band, tabla and sitar ensemble or traditional string quartet. This gives his music a bold freedom in the environment of Western classical music. Warmly played by guitarist Stuart Fox, Bardsdale is an evocation of the tranquil California landscape around the groves of Fillmore.