Wilsonian Doctrine

 

Photo appears courtesy of Greg Aiello

Matt Wilson, the drummer-bandleader-composer on the cover of the new JazzTimes, just might be the most effortlessly engaging interview subject in jazz. Quick with an anecdote and always up for a laugh, he also takes the time to consider the premise of a question. We sat down a few times this summer; our most in-depth conversation unfolded in his spacious Long Island backyard. (He sent me home with a tomato.)

Please do buy the magazine: it’s the drum issue, with pieces about Miguel Zenón’s spin on plena music, Justin Faulkner’s ascent in the Branford Marsalis Quartet, and the history of amicable one-upsmanship between Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. The cover story is only excerpted in the link above, without accompanying Jimmy Katz photographs. There’s also a new installment of The Gig (print edition), about the current revolution in jazz rhythm; more on that to come.

One major thread of the Matt Wilson piece is his reverence for the jazz elders that have figured into his career. He knows how fortunate he has been, and he does his part to carry on that legacy. So I thought I’d sweeten this post with a couple of stories he told about Dewey Redman. I especially like his creative response to the mallet request. 

 

 

Matt Wilson on Dewey Redman

 

Incidentally, just after filing the piece, I caught Wilson’s quartet at the Jazz Standard. The band hit hard as ever, skewing Ornettelike at some points and funkier at others. After a few tunes with the standard frontline of Andrew D’Angelo on alto and Jeff Lederer on tenor, some extra room was made for trumpeter Kirk Knuffke. He went on to fill D’Angelo’s seat on tour, and field reports have been very good. 

I’ll leave you with two video clips, the first a semi-legendary vintage performance of “School Boy Thug,” a song still in active rotation. (This dates to the era when Joel Frahm was on tenor.)

 

 

 

And dig this Arts & Crafts set closer, with exploratory work by Gary Versace and an especially Al Franken-esque Wilson on pennywhistle and transistor radio (or whatever that is) at the end.

 

Comments

[creatine]

Hello
I have checked that videos which you have given and its really very good.I have just listened his music first time and I must say that he is very talented.Thank you very much for showing such a good video to us.