Jack Wilson (jazz pianist)
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| Jack Wilson | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 3, 1936 |
| Origin |  Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 2007 (aged 71) |
| Genre(s) | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Label(s) | Atlantic, Blue Note, Discovery |
Jack Wilson (August 3, 1936 – October 5, 2007) was an American jazz pianist and composer.
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[edit] Life and career
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[edit] Early life
Wilson was born in Chicago, IL. on August 3, 1936, moving to Fort Wayne, IN. 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 of George 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). Jack’s first taste of success included a two-week stint as a substitute pianist in James Moody’s band – at age 17!
After graduating from Central High, Wilson spent a year-and-a-half at the Indiana University, encountering the likes of future Jazz luminaries Freddie Hubbard and Slide Hampton. Touring with a rock ‘n roll band, he wound up in Columbus, Ohio, connecting with the then unknown Nancy Wilson and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. 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. It was here in A. C. where Jack would be rapidly embark upon a path to the major leagues; Dinah Washington passed through the club and swooped him right up. Wilson worked with Miss “D” from 1957-58 and all roads led him right back to his birthplace of Chicago.
The “windy city” served Wilson well, as he would play with the likes of Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris and Al 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). During these live recording dates, Jack would receive a draft notice from the Army and off he went to Fort Stewart, GA. Fortunately, playing music was still an option and he became the first Black music director for the Third Army Area and played tenor saxophone in the army band. In 1961, Wilson received an honorable medical discharge (because of diabetes) and returned to Dinah Washington’s band from 1961-62. It didn’t take long for Jack to embrace what would become the most significant period of his career – his time in Los Angeles. Encouraged by Buddy Collette, Jack hopped on the next thing smoking and headed west.
In Los Angeles, Jack Wilson would work for Gerald Wilson (no relation), Lou Donaldson, Herbie Mann, Jackie McLean and Johnny Griffin. During this time in the early 1960s, Hollywood was overflowing with musical opportunities for an uber-musician/composer like Jack Wilson. Frequently in and out of the studio for recording, film and television work, he did stints with Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Vaughan, Lou Rawls, Eartha Kitt, Julie London – even Sonny & Cher! And all of this before he even made his first recording as a leader.
[edit] As 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 for Atlantic 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 with Lorez Alexandria, Tutti Camarata and Eddie 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.
[edit] 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)
[edit] External links
- News item at Blue Note confirming reports of his death
