Gerald Wilson

[rostasi]

Gerald Wilson

[Joe G]

Just saw him leading a band at the Detroit Jazz Fest on Saturday. Great stuff, and Gerald is a joy.

[GA Russell]

His The Artist Selects is inching its way up my Your Music queue.

[ghost of miles]

Is the Mosaic still available? If so, get it!

Possibly the last great from the Swing Era still with us.

[alocispepraluger102]

Just saw him leading a band at the Detroit Jazz Fest on Saturday. Great stuff, and Gerald is a joy.

that 1960's pacific jazz stuff is killer. incredible powerful bands! excitement!!!!

Edited September 6, 2006 by alocispepraluger102

[Late]

GARussell — bump that Artist Selects disc way up on your list. It's a good, no — great — single disc compilation. Maybe because the man himself picked the tracks?

If anyone wants to get a taste of Wilson without buying the Mosaic, get this one! It really is a great single disc offering. One of the very best "best-of"s I own.

[GA Russell]

OK, Late. I've been putting off getting this one because 1) I already own a number of tracks from the Best Of PJ LP of his that was put out I think in the late 70s; and 2) I've been listening to his latest, In My Time, quite a bit since I got it in December, and I figured I needed a rest from Gerald Wilson.

But The Artist Selects is pretty close to the top anyway, so it won't hurt to make it the choice for next month.

[Cali]

Gerald Wilson

Gerald Wilson moved to Detroit in 1934 and attended Cass Technical High School, a high school that's known for it's music department. Some of it's famous alumni are Betty Carter, Yusef Lateef, Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, Al McKibbon, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Howard McGee, Alice Coltrane, Bennie Maupin, the list goes on an on. Even some of the current jazz "stars", like Regina Carter, attended Cass. I can think of no other high school that has produced so many great musicians.

[Jim Alfredson]

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gerald Wilson and talking with him briefly at the Detroit Jazz Festival on Sunday night. He was eating dinner in the artist hospitality tent with people from Mack Ave. Records. He was very gracious, and made me repeat my name several times so he could remember it. I told him I loved his music and especially those sides he did with Groove Holmes. I also told him I loved his son's playing and he lit up. "I will tell him that!" he said.

Very kind man, and I wish I had the chance to talk to him more. I bought the two Mack Ave sides at the festival (two for $20!) and listened to New York, New Sound today. Killer stuff.

[ghost of miles]

Gerald Wilson

Gerald Wilson moved to Detroit in 1934 and attended Cass Technical High School, a high school that's known for it's music department. Some of it's famous alumni are Betty Carter, Yusef Lateef, Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, Al McKibbon, Ron Carter, Donald Byrd, Howard McGee, Alice Coltrane, Bennie Maupin, the list goes on an on. Even some of the current jazz "stars", like Regina Carter, attended Cass. I can think of no other high school that has produced so many great musicians.

I still hope that somebody some day writes a book about all of the great African-American music teachers at the high school level who helped produce the great jazz generations of the mid-20th century. (Think I started a thread about this a long time ago, either here or at BNBB.) Working on this John Gilmore program has reminded me of it again--he was a pupil of Captain Walter Dyett at Du Sable High. Some of Dyett's other students included Gene Ammons, Clifford Jordan, Johnny Griffin, Andrew Hill, Leroy Jenkins, Richard Davis, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins.