LaDonna Smith-Eye of the storm,CD,1992+Yokel Yen(with Misha Feigin),CD,2004,USA

LaDonna Smith has been doing improv for almost 30 years. A virtuoso violinist, teacher, and co-founder of The Improvisor ("the international journal of free improvisation"), she is the image of feminine empowerment, the female criminal in pursuit of the ecstatic, potent, subversive and transcendent. LaDonna has done about as much as any of the improvising pioneers Stateside to raise the bar, to obliterate expectations/preconceptions and, in the end, form new vocabularies in music. Never mind that she did this in a scene dominated by men or that she did it from Tuscaloosa and eventually Birmingham, AL., solo and along side her performing partner Davey Williams. The freakin' odds were stacked not against her, but on top of her. But anyone who has had the singular pleasure of being in her presence will attest to the fact that if anyone might prevail against said odds, it'd be her. She's incredibly pleasant. She always seems to be aware of everything going on around her. But at the same time, sitting across the table from her can imbue you with a sense of power and belonging rarely felt. And even though I have my suspicions she realizes this she never holds it over your head. She just drops the sonic block on you while she plays. Her eye is your storm.

from Perfect Sound forever

One of the best and most interesting improvisation acts the last 30 years.WithDavey Williams she recorded several albums as Transmuseq (same name as her record label) most of which have been posted last year at Direct Waves blog. Eye of the Storm is a solo recording from 1992 while in Yokel Yen she collaborates with poet Misha Feigin creating a strange masterpiece .

read reviows here

get Eye of the Storm here

get Yokel Yen here

copies may be still obtainable here