Steve Wilson to Honor Joe Zawinul, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman
NPR: Wilson is“One of the Finest Saxophonists in the Business”
JAZZIZ: “An Especially Skilled and Sensitive Jazz Saxophonist”
Acclaimed saxophonist Steve Wilson shifts from sideman to center-stage in the months ahead, with a series of events celebrating and honoring the work of jazz legends Joe Zawinul, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman.
Recently hailed by NPR as “one of the finest saxophonists in the business,” Wilson is among the most well liked, in-demand and respected figures in jazz. JAZZIZ.com echoed this sentiment, calling him “an especially skilled and sensitive saxophonist…”
Honoring Joe Zawinul: December 17th – 20th at Jazz Standard in NYC. Steve Wilson Ensemble: The Zawinul Project Featuring Jeremy Pelt, Danny Grissett, Ugonna Okegwo, and Lewis Nash. Wilson returns to the Jazz Standard for four nights, reprising last year’s one-off tribute to Joe Zawinul, which he’d created for the Austrian Cultural Forum’s Jazz Festival. Wilson will showcase the early music of Zawinul, from the albums “Money In the Pocket” and “Rise and Fall of the Third Stream,” plus a few hits from his Cannonball days. Jazz Standard – 116 East 27th Street, NY, NY 10016 Sets: 7:30p & 9:30p (11:30p Fri & Sat only) Tickets: $30 Reservations: 212-576-2232 or www.jazzstandard.net <http://www.jazzstandard.net>
Honoring Miles, Coltrane and Coleman: Dec 10th in Chicago – Wilson has been invited by Jon Faddis and the Chicago Jazz ensemble to perform as a guest artist at Harris Hall. The special event, which also features David Sanchez, will celebrate the 50th anniversaries of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come. On December 9th, Wilson, Faddis and Sanchez will conduct a workshop at Columbia College of Chicago.
NPR featured Steve Wilson on JazzSet: Steve Wilson: A First-Call Saxophonist http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102700887&ps=rs <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102700887&ps=rs>
In addition to the airing of his Kennedy Center event, NPR has featured Wilson in a live recording with the Blue Note 7. He was also recorded this year with Christian McBride and Inside Straight at the Detroit Jazz Festival, and was featured as a Special Guest with the Michael Wolff Trio at the Kennedy Center earlier this month. Visit NPR.org for airdates.
JAZZIZ.com featured Wilson in a NEWS column timed to his recent Orchestral debut: STEVE WILSON – A TOUCH OF CLASSICAL http://www.jazziz.com/news/2009/06/25/steve-wilson-a-touch-of-classical/ <http://www.jazziz.com/news/2009/06/25/steve-wilson-a-touch-of-classical/>
Wilson’s multiple roles as a band leader, sideman, educator and jazz historian have lead journalists to praise him as “a dynamic improviser,” “a musician’s musician,” “one of the finest saxophone players today,” and more. Wilson’s recent performance at The Kennedy Center aired on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and The Washington Post Express recently described his recordings as “captivating.” John Murph’s interview with Steve may be seen here: http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/03/finances_and_all_that_jazz_steve_wilson.php <http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/03/finances_and_all_that_jazz_steve_wilson.php>
Wilson’s performance at the Kennedy Center, heard on NPR JazzSet (click NPR link, above,) was also previewed in the DCist: http://dcist.com/2008/10/16/preview_steve_wilson_the_kc_jazz_cl.php <http://dcist.com/2008/10/16/preview_steve_wilson_the_kc_jazz_cl.php>
Other Upcoming Activities for Steve Wilson: Nov 18 – 20, 2009 – Wilson will be in residence at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. He will conduct several workshops and work with the student jazz ensemble, and will appear as guest soloist in concert on Nov. 20th.
Wilson also continues working with Christian McBride and Inside Straight. They will appear at the Village Vanguard in NYC the week of November 10. In March 2010, the band will travel to the Far East for a tour. Wilson will join the Maria Schneider Orchestra at Jazz Standard (NYC) in November, during Thanksgiving week.
2010 Highlights (subject to change): 2010 will be an exciting year. Wilson has been invited back, for a second time, to the Vermont Mozart Festival. In 2009 He made his orchestra debut performing the Villa Lobos Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra. On July 28, 2010, he will present a trio concert with Joe Locke on vibes and Hans Glawischnig on bass. On August 1, 2010, he will perform works by Duke Ellington with the Mozart Festival Orchestra. The music will be arranged by Jonathan Ragonese, Wilson’s student at Manhattan School of Music.
Steve will return with his band to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, for the fourth time. The band will perform at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on March 20th.
He’s been engaged to do a short-term residency at LeMoyn College in Syracuse, NY in February, 2010. In April 2010, he will take his Wilsonian’s Grain band (Orrin Evans, Ugonna Okegwo and Bill Stewart) to the University of New Hampshire for a workshop and concert.
In a live review in ALL ABOUT JAZZ – NY, Wilson’s 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.” http://www.allaboutjazz.com/newyork/aaj_ny_200809.pdf <http://www.allaboutjazz.com/newyork/aaj_ny_200809.pdf>
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, here: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29437 <http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29437>
At http://www.stevewilsonmusic.com/ <http://www.stevewilsonmusic.com/> , visitors can 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.
