Sonelius Smith is the greatest pianist you’ve probably never heard. A truly unique artist, his ideas are more incendiary than the staunchest avant-gardist (though the avant-garde can’t claim him). He can also be straight-ahead or even in the pocket (but the straight-aheaders wouldn’t touch him). Living the music for more than seven decades and hailing from Hillhouse, Mississippi, he plays with a soul and spirit that are intangible. Infused with tradition and history, he rejects the expected at every measure. He may be inclined to play a well traveled standard, but then approach it in such a way that sounds alarm bells for the Jazz Police. On any given night he’ll play the most beautiful unimagined music you’ll ever hear, produce puzzling even confounding passages, and patiently give space and silence their due.
The list of greats Sonelius has played with is both long and impressive - Kenny Dorham, Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Elvin Jones, Rashied Ali, Archie Shepp, Freddie Hubbard, Shamek Farrah – to name just a few.
His compositions have been recorded by greats such as Ahmad Jamal, David Murray, Stanley Cowell, Robin Kenyatta and others.
When not making music, Sonelius is a prolific painter. Amongst the three pianos in his house, electric keyboards, upright bass, guitar, drums, scores of music… are endless canvases he’s painted over the years – portraits of Jazz greats such as Monk and Trane, abstracts, nudes, still lifes, musical notes, you name it.
Adam Kahan is a bass player and filmmaker living in Brooklyn. He has been collaborating with Sonelius Smith over many years and in many different forms. They first started working together, with saxophonist/flutist Claire Daly, when they recorded the soundtrack for the short film My Eileen. Following the recording, the three started working as a trio playing regularly in New York. Adam then formed and led the Lo-Fly sextet which featured Smith on piano, Daly on baritone, Ray Scro on baritone and soprano, Nana Sakomoto on trombone and Dwayne Cook Broadnax on drums. Adam also worked with pianist David Durrah for multiple years, up until his death earlier this year.
As a filmmaker, Adam has made documentaries on Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Buster Williams, Andres Serrano, Fred Tomaselli, narrative and experimental shorts as well.
A true Gemini living a double-life; as a musician Kahan has a forthcoming recording with Smith which will be released in 2022, and as a filmmaker he is working on a new film about Sun Ra, currently in development.
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Malik Washington was born in Boston, Massachusetts to two musician parents who started him on his path to music. He began playing drums at the age of three and since has built a reputation as a fresh new sound on drums. Malik’s credentials include performances with ABC;s Dancing with the Starts road trip, Olu Dara, Marcus Belgrave, Larry Ridley, Akil Desaan the Newyorican Poetry Slam All-Stars, Soul Squad and Frank Lacy. Malik has studied with Dennis Davis, Mark Johnson, Kenwood Dennard, Warren Smith, Bob Stewart, and others. As a clinician he has appeared at and has been featured in the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference, the New England Jazz Alliance symposia on musical instruction in the public schools and as a guest of the African-American Jazz Caucus. Malik is currently a freelance artist in New York and can be heard on the most recent recording of the Harlem Art Ensemble entitled “Harlem Homecoming.”
Instagram: @ahkahan
Facebook: @sonelius.smith