Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts: The Scenic Route
Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts: The Scenic Route
A solid mainstream player, trumpeter Terell Stafford represents the group's dominant solo voice, acquitting himself well in the company of more free-ranging musicians like organist/pianist Gary Versace, who replaces Larry Goldings this time out. Bassist Dennis Irwin again co-pilots the ensemble alongside Wilson, whose focus on structure and subtle rhythmic variations takes precedence over flashy solos and extroverted playing.
Sideman gigs and collaborations with such luminaries as Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman and Lee Konitz, as well as peers like Ben Allison, Fred Hess and Tom Varner have demonstrated Wilson's aptitude playing everything from standards to free improvisations. This versatility enables the ensemble to vacillate freely between both worlds.
Blending styles and genres, Wilson offers a handful of original tunes presenting a rich overview of the creative possibilities of today's modern mainstream. Invoking the classics, Wilson bolsters his original tunes with buoyant covers of Thelonious Monk ("We See"), Ornette Coleman ("Rejoicing"), Bobby Hutcherson ("Little B's Poem") and Pat Metheny ("The Bat").
Despite the varied palette, this esoteric mix avoids pedestrian eclecticism with careful sequencing, allowing the tunes to flow seamlessly. Wilson even manages to blend vintage Donald Ayler with a Beatles tune on the closing medley, "Our Prayer/Give Peace a Chance," summing up the group's multifarious capabilities. Opening with ethereal free musings on an Ayler-penned gospel/folk-theme, colored by sputtering accordion, winsome clarinet, buzzing trumpet and skittering percussion, they segue into a chanting vocal refrain, blending wearily knowing protest music with timeless forms, making a statement for the ages.
Visit Matt Wilson on the web.
Track Listing
The Scenic Route; We See; 25 Years of Rootabagas; Feel the Sway; Rejoicing; The Bat; In Touch with Dewey; Little B's Poem; Tenderly; Our Prayer/Give Peace a Chance.
Personnel
Matt Wilson
drumsMatt Wilson: drums, percussion, vocals; Terell Stafford: trumpet, flugelhorn; Gary Versace: piano, organ, accordion; Dennis Irwin: double bass, clarinet; Karlie Bruce, Ayana Del Valle, Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen: vocals.
Album information
Title: The Scenic Route | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Palmetto Records
About Matt Wilson
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Matt Wilson Concerts
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
