Wisdom in Time
Wisdom in Time is a jazz studio album by American trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and German drummer Günter Baby Sommer. It was recorded on May 22–23, 2006 at Klangdach Studio in Guntershausen, Switzerland, and released in 2007 on the Swiss label Intakt. The performance runs about 65 minutes, featuring Smith on trumpet and Sommer on drums.
Smith and Sommer first met in 1979 in West Berlin, where they played as a trio with bassist Peter Kowald on projects like Touch the Earth and Break the Shells. They reunited in 2005 at the Total Music Meeting in Berlin with bassist Barre Phillips. In May 2006 they toured German cities, finishing at the Taktlos Festival in Zürich, before recording Wisdom in Time in Switzerland.
The track “Bass-Star Hemispheres” is dedicated to Peter Kowald.
Critical reception highlights the album’s unusual, contemplative mood. The Penguin Guide to Jazz notes that Smith often leads, but Sommer’s delicate, nuanced playing is what listeners notice most. All About Jazz’s Eyal Hareuveni praises how Sommer’s orchestral and gentle approach complements Smith’s serene spiritualism, calling it a departure from their denser early work with Kowald and a heartfelt tribute to Kowald. Bill Shoemaker of Point of Departure remarks that both musicians respond to each other instantly, with the music taking sharp, well-timed turns.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:46 (CET).