The
liner notes for State
Street Sweet
include these comments: “A
Quiet Legend: Two years ago at the Monterey Jazz Festival, I was
engaged in conversation with several colleagues. We were celebrating
life, exchanging ideas, and reflecting on how lucky we were to be in
a beautiful environment, communing with some of the giants of the
jazz world.
“In
mid-sentence, from across the room, I caught a glimpse of an
unmistakable profile. There stood Gerald Wilson, confident, with the
radiant air of a master craftsman who holds a great secret. I hadn't
seen Gerald since Verona Jazz '86, but his broad smile and
charismatic eyes signaled that, at 74, he continued to drink from the
fountain of youth. While photographers clamored around
lesser-credentialed “young lions,” Wilson stood in meditative
concentration – a noble, dignified grand master of the art of jazz.
“'Hey,
there's my man, Gerald Wilson!' I exclaimed, but the look on my
colleagues' faces brought me to the sobering realization that they
were unfamiliar with this great talent. Surprisingly, while he is
heralded by many as a seasoned orchestrator, educator, and pillar of
strength in the jazz community, there are still those who are
unfamiliar with the genius of Gerald Wilson.
“I
quickly educated my friends. After all, for the past fifty-one years
Gerald has led one of the most dynamic, talent-laden big bands in the
country. A chair in the Wilson Orchestra is a badge of honor in the
jazz world. In fact, a list of the musicians who have passed through
the band – including Teddy Edwards, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Pass,
Harold Land, Oscar Brashear, Ernie Watts, Jack Wilson, Anthony
Ortega, Jerome Richardson, Garnet Brown, Buddy Collette, Bobby
Bryant, Paul Humphrey, Roy Ayers, George Duke, and more – reads
like a Who's Who of major league improvisers.
“And
Wilson stands as one of the great compositional innovators of our
time. Trumpeter Mike Price once told me, 'Gerald is interested in
creating new aspects of compositional form, rather than the stylized
arrangements of older song form. Instead of a standard eight-bar
bridge, he works at creating new relationships. The relationship
from section to section and composition to composition is always
subject to change; thus the listener and the players are always a
little bit 'on the edge,' because something new and surprising is
always just around the corner!'
“A
true orchestrator, Wilson writes in a complex tonal fashion that
embodies all of the raw energy, powerful force, and subtle finesse of
its maker. Unlike many composers, Gerald doesn't limit himself to
four and five note chords. Instead, he employs up to eight-note
polytonality to create his rich harmonizations. Yet the most
pervasive element in Wilson's music is its intense energy. It is
that energy, coupled with his brilliant use of dynamics, and his
complex, variegated compositional patterns that together produce his
unmistakable sound.
“Interestingly,
Wilson has never relied on outside composers or arrangers.1
Gerald breathes through his music, and his compositions, life
experience, and orchestra are all inexorably linked. Like Duke
Ellington before him, he has his finger on the pulse of the
African-American community. His music, rooted in passion and
directly tied to the people, has always been relevant to the 'vibe'
on the street. Accordingly, it has been embraced by artists as
diverse as El Chicano, who scored a major pop hit with Wilson's 'Viva
Tirado'
in 1970, and Kid Frost, who more recently unveiled a rap version of
this same Wilson classic.
“For
Wilson, this collection represents a homecoming in many ways. Aside
from reworking many of his classic compositions, he chose to record
the session at the famed Capitol Studios, where years ago he had
worked with Bobby Darin, Nancy Wilson, and many other talents.
Gerald recalls that his band was among the first to record at this
subterranean state-of-the-art facility way back in the '50s. 'The
studio has always modernized with the continuing advent of new
technology,' he ntoes, 'but it still brings back a lot of fond
memories.
.
. .
“The
final selection, Nancy
Jo,
looks back to 19632
and the release of the classic 'Moment
of Truth'
album. Originally composed in 1957 for one of Wilson's three
daughters, it harkens back to his seminal work with Lunceford and his
compositions for the Basie band. Judging from the energy generated
by this burner, Nancy Jo must have been a spunky, adventurous child.
(Gerald assures me that she still is!) It features solos by Brian
O'Rourke on piano, Tony Lujan on trumpet, Randall Willis on alto sax
and Anthony Wilson3
on guitar.”
1Note
the similarity to Duke Ellington and Benny Carter in this regard.
2Actually
1962.
3Gerald
Wilson's son.
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