The sweep of African-American history has provided fertile ground for composers in myriad idioms, from mainstream jazz to neo-romantic orchestral music to the classical and jazz avant-garde. Duke Ellington, William Grant Still, Yusef Lateef, Wynton Marsalis, John Carter, Hannibal Lokumbe and Olly Wilson are among the many composers who have specifically addressed black history programmatically in their music. Add to this list the veteran trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith, 70, an experimentalist and conceptualist working within free-jazz circles.

Smith's remarkable "Ten Freedom Summers," which will be performed over two days at the 16th annual Edgefest in Ann Arbor, folds 19 compositions into a suite exploring the Civil Rights movement from 1954 to 1964. He composed the work over the past 34 years, drawing inspiration from key figures and events -- Rosa Parks, the Freedom Riders, Emmett Till, Medgar Evers. On the recently issued recording (four CDs, Cuneiform), the work is realized by two groups: Smith's Golden Quartet (a traditional trumpet-plus-rhythm quartet) and a chamber ensemble including strings.

The music moves in and out of precisely notated passages, roiling group improvisations and all kinds of strategies in between. It shouts, roars, whispers and cries. There's a lot of bluster in Smith's attack, but also poetry and a dramatic use of space. His playing is often unconventional, but the last impression is always of a bracingly honest and deeply felt emotionalism.

"Ten Freedom Summers" will be performed by Smith's quartet with pianist David Virelles, bassist John Lindberg and drummer Pheeroan akLaff (9:30 p.m. Nov. 2 and 4 p.m. Nov. 3).

Edgefest is the world-class festival of avant-garde jazz and other improvised music produced by the Kerrytown Concert House. The four-day festival, which runs Wednesday through Nov. 3 in downtown Ann Arbor, offers much more than just Smith. This year's theme, "Worldly Measures," promises music rooted in a variety of ethnic and cultural identities, all filtered through a contemporary American aesthetic. Some of the headliners are Jason Kao Hwang's Edge Quartet, Ben Allison Band, Rudresh Mahanthappa's Indo-Pak Coalition and Marty Ehrlich's Fables.

(Smith also will perform a pre-festival free solo concert Tuesday at Encore Records and close the festival with the U-M Creative Arts Orchestra at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Nov. 3.)

Most events are at Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor. 734-769-2999. www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com. Single events $15, double bills $25, all-festival pass $135.

The Albanian-born vocalist Elina Duni is not part of the Edgefest lineup, but she could be. Her newly released "Matanë Malit" ("Beyond the Mountain") on ECM explores traditional Balkan folk songs of her homeland, sung with a jazz-based improvisatory sensibility and sensitive accompaniment from a close-knit trio of pianist Colin Vallon, bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Norbert Pfammatter. Duni has an intriguing voice, deeply pitched yet also crystal clear. If there are times when the music turns too drowsy for my taste, she delivers the material with the charismatic spiritualism of an artist connected at the heart to her material.