Anthony Wilson is one of the leading jazz musicians of his generation. Noted for his imagination, maturity, and depth, the guitarist/composer/arranger has recorded seven critically-acclaimed solo albums since 1997, including his Grammy-nominated self-titled debut, and “Power of Nine,” which was included in The New Yorker’s roundup of the top ten jazz albums of 2006. Wilson is captured at his most fluid and most relaxed on “Jack of Hearts,” his newest recording. Leading a virtuoso trio—Larry Goldings on Hammond Organ, and either Jeff Hamilton or the legendary Jim Keltner on drums—in a high-energy and elegant collection of performances recorded direct-to-two-track analog, Wilson approaches the classic guitar-organ-drums trio format with reverence and a spirit of play and possibility.
A sensitive and gifted accompanist as well as a formidable soloist, Anthony Wilson has been an indispensable member of Diana Krall’s quartet since he joined her in 2001 for a series of performances at Paris’ Olympia Theater that were collected on the Grammy-winning CD/DVD “Live In Paris” (Verve), already widely considered a classic. Recent recordings and performances with Willie Nelson, Mose Allison (upcoming), Bobby Hutcherson, Madeleine Peyroux, Jessie Baylin, and Aaron Neville have continued to spotlight Wilson’s growing artistry, musical flexibility, and improvisational authority. The producers Tommy LiPuma and Joe Henry have called on Wilson for his unique contributions to their projects; and Bennie Wallace, Larry Goldings, Harold Land, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and his father, the legendary composer/arranger/bandleader Gerald Wilson, are just a few of the well-respected artists with whom the gifted guitarist has forged fruitful, lasting partnerships.
Anthony Wilson’s deep understanding of jazz tradition and his equal willingness to take risks are the hallmarks of his skillful, inspired work as a composer and arranger. Wilson won the Thelonious Monk Institute International Composers’ Competition in 1995, and since then has received numerous commissions for small- and large-scale original works. In 2008, his orchestral composition “Virgo” was commissioned by the LA Philharmonic Association and premiered at the Hollywood Bowl; and in 2009 his arrangement of Ivan Lins’ “Love Dance” will be featured on Barbra Streisand’s new recording “Love is the Answer.”
Every year since 2000, Anthony Wilson’s considerable talents as a “triple-threat” guitarist/composer/arranger have landed him at the top levels of all three of those categories in Downbeat Magazine’s International Critics’ poll.
