by Don BerrymanVijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith, both composers and bandleaders, have long been strong voices in the creative music field. Now they have come together again to release another duo album, Defiant Life, featuring haunting beautiful music with Vijay Iyer on piano and Fender Rhodes and Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet. On Defiant Life Vijay Iyer’s song “Kite” was written for Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer who was also killed in Gaza last year. The musicIn the liner notes Vijay Iyer says “It’s a special, unparalleled journey we’ve been on for multiple decades now. I don’t have many experiences like that.” In Defiant Life what appeared and unfolded between these two visionary musicians is a musical dialogue.