A Tribute to the Great Gerald Wilson

For me, it all began about two or three years ago when a good friend with peerless taste, Jo Wallace, pasted a version of Light My Fire on her Facebook page. I'm a sucker for this song, loving Tony Hatch's, Erma Franklin's and Shirley Bassey's takes on it, as well as the original. This one though, was something else. This was so far up my street you'd need to pack a flask and sandwiches if you had any desire to reach it. The Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Gerald Wilson? Never heard of him? No, I hadn't either.

Thanks to the wonders of the net, within about fifteen minutes I'd found that the track existed on an album called California Soul and that the disc also contained a version of Sunshine of Your Love and Lalo Schiffrin's Theme from Cool Hand Luke. Was it possible I had found some sort of aural El Dorado?

Yes, I had. I tracked one down via eBay for $10, and didn't hesitate to lay out, despite the postage from the States being a further $15. It turned out to be one of the best 25 bucks I've ever spent. California Soul by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra has become one of my Desert Island albums.

The genre is big band jazz, 60s style. Think Lalo Schiffrin, Jimmy Smith, Buddy Rich or possibly Elmer Bernstein. A big, brassy, cinematic sound, but with a late 60s groove. Not funky, just beautiful melodic jazz with a real nice swing to it. Oh, flute and vibes. I love psychedelic flute and the vibraphone and Wilson gives both a bit of space to fly.

Those who have listened to me spin discs on my monthly DJ night over the past couple of years know that Mr Wilson and his crew is never going to be too far from the decks.

What do I know about him? Well, he was a trumpeter, playing before World War II began and is still at it. Think about that for a second - he was playing before 1939 and here we are in 2014 with Wilson still composing and making music well into his nineties. He's rubbed shoulders with many of the greats, including Ella, The Duke, The Count, and Dizzy, earning a crust as an arranger, as well as band leader and composer.

Earlier this year I picked up another album, Everywhere, cut in the same year as California Soul (1968), and just this weekend in Brighton I doubled my GW collection with 1966's The Golden Sword, subtitled Torero Impressions in Jazz, and 1962's Brass Bag. Boy, was I chuffed with my purchases. I knew that they were unlikely to have that big late 60s groove to them, but from early listens both lived up to my high estimation of GW's talents.

So, yesterday I swung by the Gerald Wilson Facebook page, as I do every few months, just to see if anything is happening.

I found that on September 4^th he turned 96, but was dismayed to read that four days later he'd passed away at his LA home following a brief illness.

So, a whole month ago Gerald Wilson joined the immortals and I didn't know it. He has become one of my giants, his music giving me so much pleasure, his talent far outstripping the slight fame he had.

Rest in Peace, Gerald Wilson, but maybe blow that trumpet a little or get a band together when the mood takes you. Thanks for the music, sir.