Anthony Wonsey: The Thang

Wisdom, it is often said, comes with age and experience. This axiom has special relevance for those who pursue excellence in the arts. Whether painters, dancers, or composers, the true creators have found that it takes time and patience to develop a singular voice. Youth seems to bring with it a desire to put technique at the fore, but those with more experience know that true originality starts when an artist utilizes his abilities to channel the spirit of the moment into spontaneous personal expression.

For a jazz musician, this process involves moving beyond the imitation of valued influences, as well as dispensing with the idea that flashy technique is an end unto itself. Pianist Anthony Wonsey understands this well, with hindsight gained over the past decade. Since graduating from the Berklee College of Music in 1994, he has paid his dues and been fortunate enough to work with a variety of top-notch leaders including Roy Haynes, Nicholas Payton, and Carl Allen. He even had the opportunity early on to record his own groups, but he'll be the first to admit that it takes time to become comfortable with oneself and one's own creative voice.

"You know, you learn the vocabulary, but then it's about playing in the moment and getting a sound," says Wonsey. "That's the point of practicing and trying to get better as a musician. Back in the early days, I was just trying to play and make the tempo, the changes, and everything. Now, it's more relaxed, but at the same time, the secrets are revealed a little more every year."

It was almost as if those "secrets" to which the pianist alludes were offered up in tangible form when he returned to New York last year after a lengthy solo gig in Japan, to record his first Sharp Nine disc, Blues For Hiroshi. As strong as his work had been during his fruitful associations with Payton and Elvin Jones just prior to his Japanese sojourn, a sense of maturity and renewed purpose could be heard, putting Wonsey well on his way to fulfilling the promise that had been apparent during his apprenticeship in Boston.

That promise is realized more than ever on The Thang, an effort that even Wonsey sees as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. "I'm in a good place right now, and this record is a good departure from that point because it's the first one that I can actually listen to over and over," he explains.

As multifaceted as Wonsey's own musical personality, The Thang has a distinctive flavor to it that makes it immediately accessible, even as it is filled with depth and maturity. Much of this is due to the material and the camaraderie that Wonsey shares withEric Alexander, Nat Reeves, and Joe Farnsworth. "It was a special thing because it was the first time we all made a record together and I wrote the tunes especially for this band," says the pianist. "All of us see each other on the road sometimes, but we've never had the chance to play much together, but it's always a good vibe when we hang out."

Although half of the set is made up of material not composed by Wonsey, the changes he makes to these standards are just enough to give them a fresh sound without being too coy or clever. A jam session favorite, "All The Things You Are" shifts back and forth between a waltz tempo and 4/4. "I'd been playing the tune in Japan, but had always played it with horn players," Wonsey says. "But then when I started playing the melody I began discovering new things about it."

More likely than not, it's "The Thang" that will leave a lasting impression from the first spin of the disc. This catchy funk number is just the type of thing into which Eric Alexander, who appears on half of the album's eight tracks, likes to sink his teeth. Furthermore, Wonsey's chord changes allow for just enough variety to keep things interesting. "I think this one might become a popular tune," he muses. "It's not a 'sellout' because it has depth, but it's fun and it moves."

A delicate bossa original, "Pamela" was written for a friend who operated a Brooklyn restaurant that Wonsey frequented many years ago. A jazz fan herself, Pamela didn't learn that Wonsey was a jazz musician until quite some time after he had become a regular. "After that, she would cater the food for these parties that I would have at my house," he explains. "Soon she started asking me to write her a song and I always promised her I would, so now I've fulfilled my promise."

"Hey Jimmy" also has its own unique story, dedicated by Wonsey to a Boston cabbie that also happened to be "a diehard be-bop pianist" and a mentor for a brief time. Alexander makes the most of the charming melody, delivered at a comfortable medium tempo.

The last of his four originals, Wonsey's"The Paper Chase" was created specifically with Alexander in mind. "Marc Edelman asked me to play a fast-tempo minor burner for Eric to play on," the pianist explains. "So, I started on F minor and then came up with that opening vamp." The riff that Wonsey uses under Eric's voicing of the melody and the brooding tag that comes at the end of each chord sequence both recall Jackie McLean's Blue Note work on such classics as Let Freedom Ring and Right Now.

With its beguiling tag, "Speak Low" gets a facelift in an arrangement written right before the record date. "I changed up another version I had done for keyboard that had more of a fusion feel to it," Wonsey recalls. "Then Joe put that shuffle beat on it and we just went from there. It's actually one of my favorite songs on the record."

There's been a welcomed interest lately in jazz arrangements of popular tunes from the '70s and '80s, with musicians like David Hazeltine (on Modern Standards) and Don Braden (on The Contemporary Standards Ensemble) putting new twists on numbers by The Isley Brothers, Steely Dan, Burt Bacharach, and Stevie Wonder. Wonsey offers his own take on Wonder's seductively lyrical "Overjoyed," a piece that he calls "probably one of my favorite songs in the world." Farnsworth contributes to the groove with his own version of the quintessential "Poinciana" beat.

The set concludes with shades of Red Garland as Wonsey successfully tackles "Billy Boy." "I learned that song just to learn it, as something to further my education on this music. It's a very challenging tune and we just kind of did it in the studio and ended up keeping it."

Thus comes to a close this definitive representation of Anthony Wonsey in the here and now. Since artists are often their own harshest critics, the fact that he calls this one "my best album yet" is testimony to the fact that this set will endure as one of today's modern classics.

Liner Notes copyright © 2024 C. Andrew Hovan.

The Thang can be purchased here.

Contact C. Andrew Hovan at All About Jazz.
An avid audiophile and music collector, Chris Hovan is a Cleveland-based writer / photographer / musician.

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