Jazz Articles about Matt Wilson

About Matt Wilson

Album Review

Anat Fort: The Dreamworld of Paul Motian

Read "The Dreamworld of Paul Motian" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
September 18, 2025

Other performers inspire every musician to some extent, but for Anat Fort, the influence of drummer Paul Motian altered her approach to performing and thinking about music. Although Motian passed away in 2011, his presence remains a motivating force in Fort's work. With The Dreamworld of Paul Motian, she pays homage not just to the man but to the mystery, lyricism, and true spirit of his music. Motian elevated the role of drumming in modern jazz. ...

Album Review

Dawn Clement: Delight

by Paul Rauch
July 21, 2025

Pianist / vocalist / composer Dawn Clement has appeared on plenty of recordings, both as a sideperson and leader, but she has perhaps never quite accomplished what she has here with Delight, on the Origin Records label. There are balances achieved with this record that fans of the long-time Seattle, now Denver-based Clement can eagerly wrap their collective arms around. Her intrepid curiosity and virtuosity have been a given in the jazz world for many years, playing with ...

Radio & Podcasts

Christmas Hedgehogs and Foxes

by Patrick Burnette
December 19, 2024

Every musician, it seems, does a holiday album sooner or later, and visions of residuals dance in their heads. But given the flood of releases each year, it's hard to stand out, and the canon of Christmas favorites is already pretty crowded. How to make your mark? You could try to do one or two distinctive things well. Or, you could try a little bit of everything. Listen as Mike and Pat dissect three brand new holiday offerings and a ...

Radio & Podcasts

Meet Matt Wilson

by Cheryl K.
December 16, 2024

In this hour, an interview with drummer Matt Wilson. Currently, he's on the road with his Christmas Tree-O bringing joy through zany holiday music to cities and towns in the US and in support of their holiday release Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come. Playlist J.D. Allen “Ave Maria" from A Garland of Holiday Songs (Savant) 4:17 Matt Wilson Christmas Tree-O “Up On the Rooftop" from Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come (Palmetto) 3:57 ...

Album Review

Melinda Rose Rodriguez and Frenchy Romero: I'm On My Way

Read "I'm On My Way" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
November 7, 2024

Longtime friends from their Miami days, vocalist Melinda Rose Rodriguez and pianist Frenchy Romero offer their debut collaboration, I'm on My Way. It is a ten-track collection of known fare, as well as original compositions from Rodriguez. The album is a festive musical playground for the two artists, both of whom will be performing in elite U.S. Army Bands in Washington, DC. Curtains rise with “Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," an easy-swinging appetizer with Rodriguez delivering ...

Album Review

Jeff Lederer: Guilty!!!

Read "Guilty!!!" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
September 23, 2024

Note to conservative Republicans: stop reading this review now. Note to self: There cannot be but a handful of folks who are both MAGA and jazz and improvised music listeners. Jeff Lederer's Guilty!!! recalls a time when jazz was at the forefront of the zeitgeist. Max Roach, John Coltrane, and Charles Mingus were creating music about and during the civil rights movement. Elsewhere Neil Young was protesting the four dead at Kent State, while Graham Nash was recruiting ...

Album Review

Melinda Rose & Frenchy Romero: I'm On My Way

Read "I'm On My Way" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
August 22, 2024

A co-led date from vocalist Melinda Rose and pianist Frenchy Romero seemed to be preordained. The two grew up mere blocks away from each other in Miami, connected as teens and bonded immediately over a love for jazz, and developed a strong rapport at a weekly jam session. As their lives moved forward, they stayed in touch and played out during breaks in their undergraduate days, kept the gigging going when they were each in graduate school in Illinois, and ...