- Jack Wilson (jazz pianist)
Infobox musical artist
Name = Jack Wilson
Img_capt =
Img_size = 300
Landscape =
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = Birth date|1936|8|3
Died = death date and age|2007|10|5|1936|8|3
Origin = flagicon|USAChicago ,Illinois , U.S.
Instrument =Piano
Genre =Jazz
Occupation =Pianist ,composer
Years_active =
Label = Atlantic, Blue Note, Discovery
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Jack Wilson (
August 3 ,1936 –October 5 ,2007 ) was an Americanjazz pianist andcomposer .Life and career
Early life
Wilson was born in
Chicago on August 3, 1936, moving toFort Wayne, Indiana at age seven. From 1949-54, he studied piano with Carl Atkinson at the Fort Wayne College of Music. It was during this time that he was introduced to the music ofGeorge Shearing .Later picking up tenor saxophone, Wilson played in the Central High School band and began performing locally as a leader of small combos. By his fifteenth birthday, he had become the youngest member ever to join the Fort Wayne Musicians Union (Local 58). At the age of 17 he played a two-week stint as a substitute pianist in James Moody’s band.
After graduating from Central High, Wilson spent a year-and-a-half at the Indiana University, encountering
Freddie Hubbard andSlide Hampton . Touring with a rock ‘n roll band, he wound up inColumbus, Ohio , connecting with the then unknown Nancy Wilson andRahsaan Roland Kirk .Professional musician
After a year in Columbus, Wilson moved to
Atlantic City , leading the house band at the Cotton Club, now adding organ to his musical arsenal. At the Club he encounteredDinah Washington , with whom he worked from 1957-58. [cite web| publisher=Verve Records |accessdate = 2008-07-29|title=Jack Wilson |url = http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/jackwilson]Returning to Chicago, Wilson played with
Gene Ammons ,Sonny Stitt ,Eddie Harris andAl Hibbler . His longest gig there was at the Persian Lounge with bassist Richard Evans, with whom Jack made his recording debut as a sideman on "Richard’s Almanac" (July 21-23, 1959). Drafted into the Army, he went to Fort Stewart, GA. and became the first Black music director for the Third Army Area, playing tenor saxophone in the army band.In 1961, Wilson received an honorable medical discharge (because of diabetes). He returned to Dinah Washington’s band from 1961-62. Encouraged by
Buddy Collette , he moved toLos Angeles .In Los Angeles, Jack Wilson worked for
Gerald Wilson ,Lou Donaldson ,Herbie Mann ,Jackie McLean andJohnny Griffin . Frequently in and out of the studio for recording, film and television work, he did stints withSammy Davis Jr. ,Sarah Vaughan ,Lou Rawls ,Eartha Kitt ,Julie London , as well asSonny & Cher .Bandleader
With an enviable list of credentials for someone who was only 26, Jack was given the opportunity to take center stage. The year of 1963 would yield his first recording as a leader, "The Jack Wilson Quartet featuring
Roy Ayers " forAtlantic Records (January 24th & February 6th). An impressive debut by any standards, the session kicks off with Jack’s blazing "Jackleg" which gallops ferociously from the starting gate. This lively session would be followed by another Atlantic date fifteen months later, three sessions for Vault (Atlantic’s subsidiary) and then the coveted invitation to the Blue Note label, the results of which produced three records, including the classic "Easterly Winds" in 1967.After his final Blue Note session in 1968, Jack Wilson focused on work with vocalist
Esther Phillips until 1977, when he recorded "Innovations", the first of three record dates for the Los Angeles-based Discovery label. This also brought about a return to sideman work withLorez Alexandria ,Tutti Camarata andEddie Harris well into the 1980s.Jack’s final recording session (for the Japanese DIW label), simply titled "In New York", took place on June 4, 1993 and featured legendary drummer
Jimmy Cobb .Jack Wilson died on October 5, 2007. His death, at the Northport Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, was caused by complications of diabetes, according to his wife, Sandie Boerum-Wilson, of Sayville, NY.
Discography
* "The Jack Wilson Quartet featuring Roy Ayers" (
Atlantic Records , 1963)
* "The Two Sides Of Jack Wilson" (Atlantic Records, 1964)
* "The Jazz Organs" (Vault, 1964)
* "Jack Wilson Plays Brazilian Mancini" (Vault, 1965)
* "Ramblin"' (Vault, 1966)
* "Something Personal" (Blue Note Records , 1966)
* "Easterly Winds" (Blue Note Records, 1967)
* "Song For My Daughter" (Blue Note Records, 1969)
* "Autumn Sunset" (Discovery, 1977)
* "Innovations" (Discovery, 1977)
* "Margo's Theme" (Discovery, 1979)
* "In New York" (DIW, 1993)References
External links
* [http://www.bluenote.com/news.asp?NewsID=465 News item at Blue Note] confirming reports of his death
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.