Dubbed "an
unsung hero in modern jazz" by the All Music Guide, the baritone saxophonist
Glenn Wilson has been cherished by discerning listeners who recognize a
visionary improviser and inspired bandleader when they hear one. On his new
live album Timely, to be released February 24, 2015 on Cadence Jazz Records,
Wilson is joined by a treasured compatriot, the trumpeter John D'Earth. Along
with the pianist John Toomey, the bassist Jimmy Masters and the drummer Tony
Martucci, the horn men, tethered together by way of shared experience,
interpret compositions by such masters as Wayne Shorter, Bob Belden, Larry
Willis, Bob Dorough and baritone saxophone legend, Pepper Adams.
Having worked
together in various configurations for over thirty years, the members of the
quintet bring an artistic maturity to these performances evident in the spontaneous
interplay and raw emotion displayed. Recorded over two nights at the Havana
Nights Jazz Club in Virginia Beach, the music sparkles with an inspired mixture
of unrestrained fervor aligned with the apparent ease that bonds seasoned
players. "Recording live," says Wilson "is not something to be
entered into lightly. The best jazz is LIVE jazz and you're hearing it just the
way we played it for the audience at the club that night."
On standout performances, "Sightseeing", "Timely,"
and Diabolique II, Wilson and D'earth also create what the leader describes as
"improvised compositions."
"John and I have such a great rapport and hear the music so
similarly that, when we improvise together, compositions are created that have
never existed before and will never be heard again. That journey to unknown
destinations is what makes the music so fresh and unrepeatable. It's what real
jazz is all about: in-the-moment musical communication." The nature of the
band's unusual repertoire also reflects this go-for-broke spirit. Instead of
the familiar standards heard so often, Wilson and company revel in little heard
gems including Shorter's "Sightseeing," Willis's "To Wisdom the
Prize," Belden's "Fat Beat," Dorough's "Nothing Like You
Has Even Been Seen Before" and Adams's "Dylan's Delight""
and "Diabolique II."
In a career that spans five decades, Glenn Wilson has been featured
with such iconic jazz and Latin music leaders as Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton,
Machito, Tito Puente and Bob Belden; he has also appeared with rock hit-maker,
Bruce Hornsby. Wilson has seven solo albums and has appeared on dozens of jazz
recordings as a sideman. Currently based in central Illinois, Wilson performs
with his two groups, The Jazzmaniacs and TromBari, featuring trombonist Jim
Pugh, and teaches at both University of Illinois and Illinois State University.
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