fasstrack Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 I knew him in the '80s at the Jazz Cultural Theater, and played his very interesting charts at a Clifford Jordan big band rehearsal. He also used to play for Charles Davis's class there. He was a great guy, and very encouraging to younger musicians like myself. I very much liked his work in the early '60s on both piano and organ with Gerald Wilson's big band. I think he had perhaps a serious stroke, and spent his final days in a nursing home, pretty much forgotten about before passing away in 2007. Here is a bio:http://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/the-underappreciated-jack-wilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-blake Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 Used to really like his stuff with Roy Ayers, especially Ramblin'. Got to pull that one out. Been too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted May 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 http://www.allmusic.com/album/moment-of-truth-mw0000654233 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HutchFan Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Yes! Excellent pianist. I always enjoyed his work with Gerald Wilson's big band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Jack was a topic here before... Through it, his family got in touch with me about the solo recordings I had done of him. I sent them the masters, but I don't know if they wish to do anything with them. A very nice man, and fine pianist... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted May 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2016 (edited) he was nice to me. i was playing with a horrible street band once in front of the gulf and western building. i mean they were excrable. the two co-leaders started on kazoos, then graduated to banging on bass drums. anyway, jackie came by and listened, trying to hide behind the ballantine beer hat i never saw him without---so as not to make me self-conscious. i peeped him anyway, and was embarrassed as hell to be seen and heard with this raggedy-ass band. when i ran into jackie next time i told him i had seen him and was embarrassed. he rejoined 'don't be. i listened 'cause you were the only thing happening'. he told someone else that i 'had a lot of heart'. i was very bummed that he went out the way he did: seemingly alone and forgotten. Edited May 6, 2016 by fasstrack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six string Posted May 23, 2016 Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 Yes, I thought the old thread was revived again until I looked closer at the start date to see it was new. I really like Jack Wilson and I knew him for his solo albums before I discovered he was on a couple of Gerald Wilson albums I had, then I started noticing how much he played with GW. His albums with Roy Ayers are special. It's always sad to hear of talent unappreciated, especially as the artist gets older. It makes me think of Red Garland and how he struggled in his later years, playing local clubs for little money. The arts can be fickle though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted May 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2016 4 hours ago, six string said: The arts can be fickle though. They can? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six string Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 11 hours ago, fasstrack said: They can? Ok, maybe the more honest answer and more correct is art patrons can be fickle, eh? Just riffin' on the one minute you're up, the next you're down. Wondering how Red felt going from playing the world's greatest stages to a local bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 13 hours ago, six string said: Ok, maybe the more honest answer and more correct is art patrons can be fickle, eh? Just riffin' on the one minute you're up, the next you're down. Wondering how Red felt going from playing the world's greatest stages to a local bar. In a way, ALL bars are local bars. And almost all great players are local players. I recall meeting a guitarist in Germany who was a huge fan of Ed Bickert, but had never heard him in person -- had him on lots of records, had seen videos... He was almost angry at me when I told him Ed could be heard (on average) about 10 days a month at a little club one short block from my front door. And there are wonderful players in New York who are stars in Europe or Japan yet play for the door at home... (You can supply the names yourself.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
six string Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 I used to go see Jessica Williams every Wednesday night, well almost every Wednesday, no cover charge, in a local club, because she was , like local man. The flipside of that is Jessica was paid poorly for her three or four sets. Everybody's local somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted September 8, 2018 Report Share Posted September 8, 2018 I'm reviving this topic to pass on word from Jack Wilson's widow Sandie. She has made available the solo piano recordings that I taped at Toronto's Cafe des Copains in 1987. Michael Cuscuna contributed the liner notes and indicates they are unique in that Jack never made a solo piano album. Here are the links Sandie provided me: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3EPk7gCkHtXghpDGLuGYg8 iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1394213999?ls=1&app=itunes Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/live-at-the-café-des-copains/1394213999 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted September 8, 2018 Report Share Posted September 8, 2018 wow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonewall15 Posted September 9, 2018 Report Share Posted September 9, 2018 My favorite Jack Wilson session is his trio recording in NYC 6/4/93 on the DIW label. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 Thanks for sharing these recordings Ted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 12 minutes ago, .:.impossible said: Thanks for sharing these recordings Ted. Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted October 2, 2018 Report Share Posted October 2, 2018 16 hours ago, Brad said: Ditto. Happy to do so. I recorded a LOT of things and always told the artist the tapes were theirs to use as they wish. Artists should own what they produce. Which reminds me that I should get in touch with Laurie Pepper and buy the new releases from Toronto, which I recorded. Glad to see it's out, and cleaned up much better than I could do, given the kind of equipment that's available today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkboughtlunch Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 On 10/2/2018 at 3:59 PM, Ted O'Reilly said: Happy to do so. I recorded a LOT of things and always told the artist the tapes were theirs to use as they wish. Artists should own what they produce. Which reminds me that I should get in touch with Laurie Pepper and buy the new releases from Toronto, which I recorded. Glad to see it's out, and cleaned up much better than I could do, given the kind of equipment that's available today. Thank you! Beautiful recording and wonderful playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 (edited) How about these unissued Jack Wilson recordings: Jack Wilson (p,el-p) Ike Isaacs (b,el-b) Donald Bailey (d) Live "Memory Lane", Los Angeles (Set no. 1), July 8, 1970 Tears inside (unissued) Blue Note Medley: - Spiritual - Four and one - Street scene - Night mist - Caravan - Soulin' - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ same pers. Live "Memory Lane", Los Angeles (Set no. 2), July 8, 1970 Medley (unissued) Blue Note Ahmad's blues - New rhumba - Medley - Something - After supper - Ada - Medley - Little sunflower - Soulin' - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- same pers. Live "Memory Lane", Los Angeles (Set no. 3), July 8, 1970 Ramblin' (unissued) Blue Note Squeeze me - Wave - Medley - I hear a rhapsody - Soulin' - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ same pers. Live "Memory Lane", Los Angeles (Set no. 1), July 9, 1970 Little sunflower (unissued) Blue Note Ramblin' - Night mist - Ada - Soulin' - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- same pers. Live "Memory Lane", Los Angeles (Set no. 2), July 9, 1970 Ahmad's blues (unissued) Blue Note If it's the last thing I do - Medley - Blues - Wine - Soulin' - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ same pers. Live "Memory Lane", Los Angeles (Set no. 3), July 9, 1970 Untitled (bass feature) (unissued) Blue Note Street scene - Medley - Soulin' - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These were recorded after the "Song For My Daughter" LP on Blue Note, Some of it should be releasable. Edited January 26, 2019 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkboughtlunch Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 Awesome find Mike! Does Blue Note / EMI still have these tapes? Paging Michael Cuscuna... I will paste this info in the Jack Wilson megathread... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) It's not my find - it's in the Tom Lord Discography, which probably has it fom Ruppli/Cuscuna's Blue Note Discography, so Michael should know about it. Spinning Song For My Daughter right now - mesmerizing renditions of Scarborough Fair and Ron Carter's Eighty-One (Wilson was great at selecting tunes by his peers!). Billy Byers wrote very original string arrangements, much like his work for Hampton Hawes. That said - all of Wilson's albums deserve a reissue - they're all excellent, IMO: Edited January 27, 2019 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) Jack Wilson fans should not overlook Roy Ayers' debut as a leader, which has Wilson featured prominently, and Curtis Amy on four tracks. Mosaic still has a few copies of the fine sounding Mighty Quinn reissue CD. http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AYERR01 Edited January 30, 2019 by mikeweil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 Jack Wilson is someone whom I missed entirely when I was first discovering jazz. Several years back, I picked up a couple of Blue Note albums on CD. I need to re-spin these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 I wonder how Jack Wilson got to Blue Note. His first BN album wasn't produced by Lion or Wolff, instead by Jack Tracy. All west coast musicians. Not a typical BN production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Nelson Posted January 30, 2019 Report Share Posted January 30, 2019 And yet the mastering of 'Something Personal' was by Rudy Van Gelder, whose name is stamped on the trail-out groove. It appears Tracy handed the masters to Rudy and said, "You take it from here." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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