Jazz Refractions: The Forest Plays the Compositions of Warren Smith

The Forest will present a special performance honoring the vibrant legacy of legendary percussionist, composer, and M’Boom co-founder Warren Smith. The Forest is a multi-cultural percussion quartet consisting of Gustavo Aguilar, Leah Bowden, Andrew Drury, and Michael Wimberly. Many of the compositions have never been recorded or publicly performed.

Drawing on Smith’s 70-year career—a monumental journey that spans historic collaborations ranging from Max Roach, Tony Williams, Sam Rivers, and Gil Evans, to John Cage and Harry Partch, as well as Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Barbra Streisand, and Van Morrison—the cooperative quartet will perform a curated selection of his visionary percussion works, including A Composer’s Conversation and African Sketches.

To give audiences a multi-dimensional look into his creative process, the live performance will be accompanied by an exclusive video screening of Smith discussing his music and philosophy, followed by an interactive Q&A session. The event promises an immersive, educational, and deeply grooving tribute to one of American music’s most prolific and boundary-pushing artists.