L-R: Paul Sikivie, Matt Wilson, Jeff Lederer (photo by Paul Payabyab-Cruz)
Matt Wilson is one our all-time favorite jazz cats—and we’re always glad when this particular cat comes back. Over the years, RJA audiences have heard him as a member of both Trio M (with Myra Melford and Mark Dresser) and Myra’s Be Bread quintet, and at the helm of three of his own groups: Arts & Crafts, Honey and Salt, and, almost a decade ago now, the Christmas Tree-O.
There’s a certain madcap energy propelling this holiday-themed group: its repertoire includes cartoon classics like the Chipmunk Song and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and comedian Amy Schumer once joined the trio in a walk-on guest spot. But as Rahsaan Roland Kirk used to admonish audiences about his own top-hatted multi-instrumental pyrotechnics: “this ain’t no sideshow.” Wilson can be daffy but he’s also dead-earnest, and he treats all his material, from the avant-garde Albert Ayler to Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus,” with reverence. (Among dozens of others who have sat in with the Tree-O over the years are contemporary jazz giants like Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, esperanza spalding, and longtime Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen.)
Wilson belongs to a lineage of Clown Princes of Jazz—Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Han Bennink—players who find extraordinary joy in jazz and in life, and who transmit that joy to audiences every time they play. Like those icons, Wilson is a funny guy who is first and foremost a very serious musician. Jazz writer Nate Chinen opines that there is “almost nobody in Wilson’s peer group with a broader sense of jazz history, or a more natural sense of time, or a stronger signature as a bandleader, or more goodwill among his fellow players.” A gifted composer, bandleader, producer and educator, he’s famous for his flair and virtuosity as a drummer and for his good vibes as a bandleader (“an ambassador of good feeling, the New York Times once called him), not to mention his facility for collaborating with top musicians across the spectrum of jazz, from the mainstream to the way-out and virtually everything in between.
You won’t meet a more magnanimous soul in the jazz cosmos (maybe not in any cosmos) and—no disrespect to our other guests—you’ll look far and wide to find a more prolific player, too. Wilson has appeared on more than 400 recordings, including several with Charlie Haden and Carla Bley’s legendary Liberation Music Orchestra, and he’s released a baker’s dozen albums as a leader (and nearly as many as a co-leader). A relentless touring performer, he’s a constant presence at premiere nightclubs and festivals around the globe. And in addition to his myriad performances, education initiatives and broadcast projects, Wilson has topped the DownBeat and NPR Readers and Critics Polls, torn up tons of Top 10 lists, graced the covers of every jazz and drum magazine you could name, and won honors for both Drummer of the Year (twice!) and Musician of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association.
Bandmates Jeff Lederer (reeds) and Paul Sikivie (bass) also get around: in addition to leading his own ensembles, Lederer is a regular in the Matt Wilson Quartet and in bands led by Bobby Sanabria and salsa trombonist Jimmy Bosch, while Sikivie has held the bass chair in several notable groups, most notably the trio backing vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant.
npr’s tiny desk | npr’s jazz night in america | new york times | wbgo
Sponsors
Our continued programming couldn’t happen without the steadfast support of RJA members & sponsors, not to mention the dedication of our newest venue partner, The Basement. Special thanks to Bug Press, the most steadfast of jazz allies, for its abiding generosity.
Additional support for this show comes from Cafe Brio, Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, Bob and Amy Doran, North Coast Co-Op, Plaza Grill, and dozens of RJA members.