John Wilson

[Tom 1960]

I've been listening to Jimmy Raney's album "A" for the very first time tonight. The 2'nd half of the release features the fine trumpet work of John Wilson along with Raney and fellow bandmates. Can anyone tell me more about John Wilson? Did he record any other dates either as leader or sideman? Love to hear more from this guy.

[Larry Kart]

Aug. 11, 1954 – JIMMY RANEY ENSEM-

BLE INTRODUCING PHIL WOODS. New

Jazz 1103. (Reissued as Prestige 203, and, com-

bined with the March 3, 1959 session with Dick

Hyman, as Prestige 7673/OJC-1865, under the

title Early Quintets.) Recorded at Van Gelder

Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey. Players:

Jimmy Raney (g), John Wilson (tp), Phil

Woods (asx), Bill Crow (b), Joe Morello (dr).

Songs: Stella by Starlight, Jo-Anne, Back and

Blow, Five.

You can listen here:

http://www.rhapsody.com/phil-woods/early-q.../pee-wees-dream

Good stuff.

[jazztrain]

Tom:

There's some information on John Wilson here: http://www.newsroom.duq.edu/r20050112.html

Here are some excerpts from that page (which concerns a 2005 concert to honor him upon his retirement from Duquesne):

>>>

John Wilson, who played trumpet with some of jazz's legendary performers for 25 years then brought his considerable talent and credentials to Duquesne's Mary Pappert School of Music in 1972, will be honored this month as he finishes his last semester at the university.

>>>

Wilson, an adjunct professor of music and director of the Duquesne University Jazz Ensembles, developed a jazz studies curriculum for the university in 1975—the first ever in Pennsylvania. Wilson served as director of jazz studies at Duquesne through 1997.

>>>

Prior to joining Duquesne, Wilson worked for 25 years in New York City in a successful career that included all aspects of performance—large and small jazz ensembles, television, radio, movies, recordings and Broadway theatre. He performed with the Benny Goodman and Sauter-Finnegan Orchestras, and recorded with those groups as well as with Gerry Mulligan, Bobby Brookmeyer, Phil Woods and Jimmy Raney. He earned arranging credits with Nancy Wilson, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Orchestra, John Scofield and Tony Williams. In addition, Wilson wrote the score Indigo in Motion, a tribute to Billy Strayhorn, which was performed by the Pittsburgh Ballet in 2000 and 2002.

Wilson also contributed arrangements for the Grammy-nominated A Nancy Wilson Christmas, and his arrangement Day In, Day Out for Wilson is featured on the current National Endowment for the Arts tribute to jazz masters. Currently, he's writing a textbook on jazz arranging and orchestration with Tomaro.

>>>

I've been listening to Jimmy Raney's album "A" for the very first time tonight. The 2'nd half of the release features the fine trumpet work of John Wilson along with Raney and fellow bandmates. Can anyone tell me more about John Wilson? Did he record any other dates either as leader or sideman? Love to hear more from this guy.

[Tom 1960]

Thanks for the info on John Wilson, fellas. I wasn't certain just how much input I would receive here? Just goes to show this place is an amazing resource of information. To Larry: I just ordered the Phil Woods Early Quintets album from Newbury Comics for the bargain price of 5.99. Look forward to hearing it.