Wilson Launches New Website; Major U.S. Tour Activity Set for 2009, Including a Week at The Village Vanguard with Michael Wolff, Blue Note Anniversary and More
Acclaimed jazz saxophonist Steve Wilson continues to develop one of the most active, eclectic and respected careers in the music world. Adept at wearing many hats -- as band leader, sideman, educator, jazz historian and more – Steve is as well-known for his understated personality and grace as he is for his incomparable chops.
New Website:
After much time and effort, Wilson finally has a classy new website to match his output and keep fans up-to-date on his many activities. At the newly-launched stevewilsonmusic.com, visitors will be able to sample new tunes and see performance footage. The site, part of the Jazz Corner family, also includes a streaming audio player, details of Wilson's numerous band configurations, and more.
Blue Note Tour:
Steve Wilson has been asked to perform with The Blue Note 7 on the highly anticipated Blue Note 70th Anniversary Tour. The series of dates, likely to be one of the biggest events of 2009, will commence in Seattle, WA on January 8, 2009 and will finish at Birdland in NYC on April 14-19, 2009. Music Director for the touring group is Bill Charlap, and the band features Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Ravi Coltrane, Peter Bernstein and Nicholas Payton. Together with Wilson, they will focus on recreating Blue Note music from the 1950s and 1960s. The ensemble did a studio recording in May, which will be released in early 2009. Be sure to check the Tour Page on Steve's new website for additional details, as they become available.
Big Visits to DC/MD/VA Markets on the Horizon: Wilson recently had the honor of performing at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he presented a new project, called Wilsonian's Grain. The concert, which featured drummer Bill Stewart, pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Ugonna Okegwo, was previewed in The DCist, and a clipping follows, below.
For any D.C.-area fans who weren't able to score a ticket to The Kennedy Center (or if they'd just like to see him again,) Wilson will return to the market in early '09, for a series of events: Steve Wilson Quartet, March 7 at Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, VA; SWQ, March 8 at Live Arts Theater, Charlottesville, VA ; SWQ March 9 - 12 at University of MD, for a very special visit to the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Univ. of MD, College Park, MD: Wilson will be the Artist in Residence and will conduct workshops on improvisation and all things jazz as well as the Business of Music. He will speak to the ethnomusicology class about jazz history within the context of American History, conduct workshops with the university jazz ensemble as well as smaller combos. The UMD Jazz Ensemble will perform Wilson's “A Joyful Noise," with Wilson as guest soloist. Steve’s long- time friend Chris Vadala, who is the head of the Jazz Dept at UMD, directs this ensemble. The Steve Wilson Quartet (Bruce Barth, Ed Howard and Adam Cruz all join him for this residency) will perform a concert on the last day that will feature a new work composed by Steve, and commissioned by UMD. All events are subject to change due to the long-lead time.
Artist in Residence at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada: Steve Wilson has been invited to be the Artist in Residence at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada for the 2008/2009 school year. The first of two sessions took place in Winnipeg from November 3-14, 2008 and the second visit is set for February 2 through 13, 2009. While there, Steve will conduct intensive sessions on a variety of topics, including improvisation, jazz history, and private lessons. He will also conduct large and small student ensembles, and will do performances with both faculty and students.
A week at the historic Village Vanguard in April '09: On April 21-26, 2009, Wilson will co-lead a quartet with pianist Michael Wolff at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City. Joining them will be Chip Jackson on bass and Victor Lewis on drums.
Also on the horizon:
Two appearances are confirmed at one of America's most prestigious chamber music festivals for the summer of '09. On July 22, Wilson will play a jazz concert with his quartet at the Vermont Music Festival, and on July 25 he will make his orchestral debut with the Villa Lobos' Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra, with the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, and conducted by Gil Shohat.
Steve Wilson works with Grammy award winning arranger and conductor Robert Sadin on a very special project: “Charlie Parker – Looking Forward and Backward”: Performing with classical musicians was always one of Parker's great dreams and ultimate satisfactions. This program explores the artistic alchemy of intersecting these great traditions. The repertoire includes classic songs from the Bird with Strings album, plus new arrangements of music of Ellington, Monk, and Mingus and as a special feature, Barber's Adagio for Strings. The next planned event for this special project will be at the State University of New York at New Paltz, April 27 - 29, 2009. Wilson and Sadin will bring their music and teaching skills to lead a three-day residency, and final performance that will incorporate both faculty and students from the university. World-renowned bassist Ira Coleman will be joining them for this unique collaboration. More details on this exciting project with Bob Sadin will be announced soon.
DCist OCTOBER 16, 2008, By Sriram Gopal Steve Wilson @ the KC Jazz Club
Over the past two decades, saxophonist Steve Wilson has earned himself a solid reputation within the jazz community, both as a sideman and a band leader. He is probably best known for his mid-90s work with Chick Corea's Origins ensemble, but he has also made notable appearances with legendary saxophonist Joe Henderson , bassist Avishai Cohen , and clarinetist Don Byron , in addition to a host of others. Over the past several years, the Virginia native has made some waves with the Steve Wilson Quartet. While that group records and tours regularly, Wilson's performance tomorrow at the Kennedy Center will feature something different from the respected altoist. For this show, he assembled a stellar group of musicians to revisit some of the original material he recorded during his early years.
“Some of the tunes never really had a life past putting pencil to paper, so I was looking for the right voices to dust off and find new possibilities in older music," Wilson said. “Now we’ll hopefully find out what the true meaning of these compositions are."
With that goal in mind, Wilson called on old friends that were sure to take the music to new heights. The ensemble, which is performing under the moniker, Wilsonian's Grain, includes pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Ugonna Okegwo . Laying it down for the group will be drummer Bill Stewart , whose playing will be a treat for those unaware of his abilities.
Friday's audience can expect a sound that is highly interactive, yet structured. As Wilson put it, “It's not going to be avant garde, but it's going to be more than a horn player with a rhythm section. It’s more like group improvisation."
For those who miss the show, they will get another chance to see Wilson next spring, when he and his usual group set up as artists-in-residence at the University of Maryland. As for Friday's show, in addition to his own compositions, Wilson invited his colleagues to submit some of their own tunes. The group will perform them, as well as some tried-and- true jazz standards, making for a varied concert that will have something for everyone.
Wilson said of Friday's show, “It really is a grand experiment, but these musicians are so quick on their feet and they really know how to listen, so it’ll take me in a different direction."
In a live review at All About Jazz Wilson's recent performance at the Rubin Museum in New York was described as follows: “Wilson wove his sound through the music in a manner that was spellbinding in its nuance and attentiveness to dynamics."
Recently nominated as Alto Player of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, and profiled in ALL ABOUT JAZZ, Wilson is known for his modest, warm personality…and for his in-depth knowledge of all-things-jazz. Read the major 'career' feature on Steve Wilson, from ALL ABOUT JAZZ.
Acclaimed jazz saxophonist Steve Wilson continues to develop one of the most active, eclectic and respected careers in the music world. Adept at wearing many hats -- as band leader, sideman, educator, jazz historian and more – Steve is as well-known for his understated personality and grace as he is for his incomparable chops.
New Website:
After much time and effort, Wilson finally has a classy new website to match his output and keep fans up-to-date on his many activities. At the newly-launched stevewilsonmusic.com, visitors will be able to sample new tunes and see performance footage. The site, part of the Jazz Corner family, also includes a streaming audio player, details of Wilson's numerous band configurations, and more.
Blue Note Tour:
Steve Wilson has been asked to perform with The Blue Note 7 on the highly anticipated Blue Note 70th Anniversary Tour. The series of dates, likely to be one of the biggest events of 2009, will commence in Seattle, WA on January 8, 2009 and will finish at Birdland in NYC on April 14-19, 2009. Music Director for the touring group is Bill Charlap, and the band features Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Ravi Coltrane, Peter Bernstein and Nicholas Payton. Together with Wilson, they will focus on recreating Blue Note music from the 1950s and 1960s. The ensemble did a studio recording in May, which will be released in early 2009. Be sure to check the Tour Page on Steve's new website for additional details, as they become available.
Big Visits to DC/MD/VA Markets on the Horizon: Wilson recently had the honor of performing at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he presented a new project, called Wilsonian's Grain. The concert, which featured drummer Bill Stewart, pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Ugonna Okegwo, was previewed in The DCist, and a clipping follows, below.
For any D.C.-area fans who weren't able to score a ticket to The Kennedy Center (or if they'd just like to see him again,) Wilson will return to the market in early '09, for a series of events: Steve Wilson Quartet, March 7 at Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, VA; SWQ, March 8 at Live Arts Theater, Charlottesville, VA ; SWQ March 9 - 12 at University of MD, for a very special visit to the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Univ. of MD, College Park, MD: Wilson will be the Artist in Residence and will conduct workshops on improvisation and all things jazz as well as the Business of Music. He will speak to the ethnomusicology class about jazz history within the context of American History, conduct workshops with the university jazz ensemble as well as smaller combos. The UMD Jazz Ensemble will perform Wilson's “A Joyful Noise," with Wilson as guest soloist. Steve’s long- time friend Chris Vadala, who is the head of the Jazz Dept at UMD, directs this ensemble. The Steve Wilson Quartet (Bruce Barth, Ed Howard and Adam Cruz all join him for this residency) will perform a concert on the last day that will feature a new work composed by Steve, and commissioned by UMD. All events are subject to change due to the long-lead time.
Artist in Residence at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada: Steve Wilson has been invited to be the Artist in Residence at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada for the 2008/2009 school year. The first of two sessions took place in Winnipeg from November 3-14, 2008 and the second visit is set for February 2 through 13, 2009. While there, Steve will conduct intensive sessions on a variety of topics, including improvisation, jazz history, and private lessons. He will also conduct large and small student ensembles, and will do performances with both faculty and students.
A week at the historic Village Vanguard in April '09: On April 21-26, 2009, Wilson will co-lead a quartet with pianist Michael Wolff at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City. Joining them will be Chip Jackson on bass and Victor Lewis on drums.
Also on the horizon:
Two appearances are confirmed at one of America's most prestigious chamber music festivals for the summer of '09. On July 22, Wilson will play a jazz concert with his quartet at the Vermont Music Festival, and on July 25 he will make his orchestral debut with the Villa Lobos' Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra, with the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, and conducted by Gil Shohat.
Steve Wilson works with Grammy award winning arranger and conductor Robert Sadin on a very special project: “Charlie Parker – Looking Forward and Backward”: Performing with classical musicians was always one of Parker's great dreams and ultimate satisfactions. This program explores the artistic alchemy of intersecting these great traditions. The repertoire includes classic songs from the Bird with Strings album, plus new arrangements of music of Ellington, Monk, and Mingus and as a special feature, Barber's Adagio for Strings. The next planned event for this special project will be at the State University of New York at New Paltz, April 27 - 29, 2009. Wilson and Sadin will bring their music and teaching skills to lead a three-day residency, and final performance that will incorporate both faculty and students from the university. World-renowned bassist Ira Coleman will be joining them for this unique collaboration. More details on this exciting project with Bob Sadin will be announced soon.
DCist OCTOBER 16, 2008, By Sriram Gopal Steve Wilson @ the KC Jazz Club
Over the past two decades, saxophonist Steve Wilson has earned himself a solid reputation within the jazz community, both as a sideman and a band leader. He is probably best known for his mid-90s work with Chick Corea's Origins ensemble, but he has also made notable appearances with legendary saxophonist Joe Henderson , bassist Avishai Cohen , and clarinetist Don Byron , in addition to a host of others. Over the past several years, the Virginia native has made some waves with the Steve Wilson Quartet. While that group records and tours regularly, Wilson's performance tomorrow at the Kennedy Center will feature something different from the respected altoist. For this show, he assembled a stellar group of musicians to revisit some of the original material he recorded during his early years.
“Some of the tunes never really had a life past putting pencil to paper, so I was looking for the right voices to dust off and find new possibilities in older music," Wilson said. “Now we’ll hopefully find out what the true meaning of these compositions are."
With that goal in mind, Wilson called on old friends that were sure to take the music to new heights. The ensemble, which is performing under the moniker, Wilsonian's Grain, includes pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Ugonna Okegwo . Laying it down for the group will be drummer Bill Stewart , whose playing will be a treat for those unaware of his abilities.
Friday's audience can expect a sound that is highly interactive, yet structured. As Wilson put it, “It's not going to be avant garde, but it's going to be more than a horn player with a rhythm section. It’s more like group improvisation."
For those who miss the show, they will get another chance to see Wilson next spring, when he and his usual group set up as artists-in-residence at the University of Maryland. As for Friday's show, in addition to his own compositions, Wilson invited his colleagues to submit some of their own tunes. The group will perform them, as well as some tried-and- true jazz standards, making for a varied concert that will have something for everyone.
Wilson said of Friday's show, “It really is a grand experiment, but these musicians are so quick on their feet and they really know how to listen, so it’ll take me in a different direction."
In a live review at All About Jazz Wilson's recent performance at the Rubin Museum in New York was described as follows: “Wilson wove his sound through the music in a manner that was spellbinding in its nuance and attentiveness to dynamics."
Recently nominated as Alto Player of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, and profiled in ALL ABOUT JAZZ, Wilson is known for his modest, warm personality…and for his in-depth knowledge of all-things-jazz. Read the major 'career' feature on Steve Wilson, from ALL ABOUT JAZZ.
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