A National Treasure: Downbeat Covers Wadada Leo Smith

To see artist Wadada Leo Smith on the front cover of November’s Downbeat issue brings a huge smile to our faces here at A Train and calls for a congratulations! And to be considered a National Treasure to top it all off? What a way to celebrate the legendary trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist who has not only played across the country and around the globe, but even studied a variety of music cultures from African, Japanese, Indonesian, European to American – maybe the next time we see his face on the cover of a magazine, he will be featured as an
“(Inter)National Treasure”!