Someone once posed the question, “What’s more important: a person’s legacy or what they do for others?” Orchestrator/composer and NEA Jazz Master Gerald Wilson has shown that, in the right hands, the two are one in the same. The 92-year-old brought together members of the Gerald Wilson Orchestra; his son, guitarist Anthony Wilson; and his grandson, Eric Otis (who serves as his grandfather’s transcriber) to record Legacy, his fifth release on Mack Avenue Records.
Wilson represents the generation that is the last link between what made jazz "jazz" and what jazz is becoming. He creates from a knowledge base that is ripe with an unimaginable archive of experiences and he’s willing to share what he knows for the betterment of the music and the musicians that will play it well into the future. Surely, with a musical career that spans nearly eight decades, he had his pick of artists to feature on this project. Instead, he gave opportunities to up and coming musicians; musicians just on the cusp of greatness, and accomplished veterans equally. Among them are trumpeters Sean Jones, Jeremy Pelt, Frank Greene, Tony Lujan, Freddie Hendrix, and Mike Rodriguez; trombonists Dennis Wilson, Douglas Purviance, Luis Bonilla, and Alan Ferber; reedmen Antonio Hart, Dick Oatts, Kamasi Washington, Ron Blake, Jay Brandford, and Gary Smulyan. Pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash make up the Orchestra's rhythm section. Wilson also makes room for both his son and grandson to each contribute a composition to the recording. Giving an opportunity to younger musicians, sharing the spotlight with your family, and continuing to create music that speaks to the hearts of people while also conveying your own personal gratitude—how’s that for a legacy?
The disc, which features five songs and a seven part suite in tribute to his adopted hometown of Chicago (more on that later), opens with one of two pieces Wilson dedicated to Wynton Marsalis titled "Variation on a Theme by Igor Stravinsky." As the title indicates, the song is a variation of a work(s) by the late classical composer-- most probably “The Firebird” with a touch of “The Rite of Spring”-- which is a fitting tribute to Marsalis who has made a career of leading the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and recording both classical and jazz music. On Wilson’s composition, the Orchestra’s full-bodied sound fills up the room soon after the play button is pressed. The group sounds like one of the great jazz orchestras of the early days: highly energetic, palpably swinging, and committed. It is a beautiful song that features two exciting solos on sax and trumpet.
And speaking of exciting solos, Renee Rosnes’s stellar piano work brings “Variations on Clair De Lune” to life. The bluesy interpretation of Debussy’s most famous work may have been written with pianist Avery Fisher in mind as the cd’s press release indicates, but the song sounds perfectly suited for Rosnes. She has such a soulful delivery that it’s hard to imagine wanting to hear the song performed any other way.
Though I confess a bias for all things Virgo and September related, the two compositions written by Wilson’s son and grandson, “Virgo” and “September Sky” respectively, were so delightfully executed that if I weren’t already a September born Virgo I’d try to convince myself and others that I should be. The songs have that “listen astutely and respectfully” vibe peppered with elements of romance and that underlying thing that keeps toes tapping thanks in part to noteworthy solos and a solid rhythm section.
Included among the compositions is the seven-part suite commissioned by the Chicago Jazz Festival titled “Yes Chicago Is…” Wilson wrote the suite with more than an ordinary tribute in mind. Each song in the suite offers a statement about all that Chicago is and all that Wilson remembers it to be. From “A Jazz Mecca,” to “Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and White Sox,” to “A Great Place to Be,” each song is but a piece in a well crafted love letter.
Wilson may be 92 years old, but it’s clear that his connection to the music is timeless. If there’s any lesson to be learned from Legacy, it’s this: no matter what we do or say in this life, our legacy will be there long after we’ve gone and it will tell the truth. Thank you, Mr. Wilson, for living your legacy and sharing it with the world.
* Note: This review can also be found at jazzpolice.com
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