The
liner notes from Fresh Sound Records' re-release of You
Better Believe It! & Moment Of Truth
read: “Composer,
arranger and trumpeter Gerald Wilson has recorded big band albums of
extraordinarily consistent brilliance throughout his remarkable and
enormously long career. And those he made in the 1960s represent one
of several peaks. On both You
Better Believe It!
And its worthy follow-up Moment
of Truth,
Wilson's writing is personal and uncluttered; he resists the
temptation to deploy all his forces at once, building logically to
climactic tutti
passages, dealing mostly with blues and groovy originals. The
orchestra, made up of top West Coast men, generates a strong drive,
plays cleanly and precisely, and was blessed with fine soloists.
Holmes is impressive with a big band shouting behind and around him.
Carmell Jones, who is also heavily featured, shows he was a thinking
young musician. But as good as them were Teddy Edwards, Walter
Benton, Harold Land, Joe Maini, Jack Wilson, and guitarist Joe Pass,
who plays stunningly in every one of his featured segments. Amid
this wealth of jazz talent, though, Wilson's writing, particularly on
Moment
of Truth,
remains the star of the show, with a harmonic sophistication that is
never exercised at the expense of jazz virtues like groove, drive and
swing.
“Gerald
Wilson was born in Shelby on September 4, 1918, but spent little time
there after reaching school age. His parents sent him to Memphis
during the primary grade stage and later he was put on a train for
Detroit where he attended Cass Technical High School and had
musicians like tenor-man Sam Donahue and trombonist Bobby Byrne for
classmates.
“Item:
In 1939, at the age of 21, he replaced Sy Oliver with the Lunceford
band, remaining until 1942. In 1944, he formed his own big band and
for a time enjoyed heady success playing locations such as New York's
Apollo Theater and the El Grotto in Chicago, the later for $3,900 a
week. Contracted by Louis Jordan to play 13 weeks in a top theater
circuit, he disbanded 'with a drawer full of signed contracts.'
“Why,
with things going well and prospects getting better, did Wilson
decide to quit? The answer was characteristic of the man.
“'I
had to stop and study,' he explained reflectively in 1962 'And it was
the best thing I ever did. If I had not, I wouldn't be where I am
today.'”
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