New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Blue Note Records) - Steve Wilson Plays Three Times in One Day at Monterey JazzFest, Joining Both
Maria Schneider and Christian McBride; Kennedy Center Concert Set for 10/17
Blue Note Anniversary Tour Set for 2009
In Addition to Being an In-Demand Jazz Artist, Wilson to Have Burgeoning Presence in Classical Community
A Wild Day in Monterey:
Acclaimed saxophonist Steve Wilson had a busy September 20th: He performed three times in a single day at the Monterey Jazz Festival...one set with Christian McBride's new band, the Christian McBride Quintet, sandwiched between two sets with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. Later this week, he records with McBride as well. For Wilson, this is just another step forward, as he continues to explore his varied roles as bandleader, educator, sideman and jazz historian.
Big Visits to D.C./MD/VA Markets on the Horizon:
On October 17th, Wilson will have the honor of performing at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Wilson will be presenting a new project, called Wilsonian's Grain, that will feature drummer Bill Stewart, pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Ugonna Okegwo. This special event marks Wilson's 4th appearance at The Kennedy Center. As a follow-up, for any D.C.-area fans that aren't able to score a ticket to The Kennedy Center (or if they just want to see him again,) Wilson will return to the market in early '09, for a series of events: Steve Wilson Quartet, March 7 at Garth Newel Music Center in Warm Springs, VA; SWQ, March 8 at Live Arts Theater, Charlottesville, VA ; SWQ March 9 - 12 at University of MD, for a very special visit to the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Univ. of MD, College Park, MD: Wilson will be the Artist in Residence and will conduct workshops on improvisation and all things jazz as well as the Business of Music. He will speak to the ethnomusicology class about jazz history within the context of American History, conduct workshops with the university jazz ensemble as well as smaller combos. The UMD Jazz Ensemble will perform Wilson's "A Joyful Noise," with Wilson as guest soloist. Steve's long-time friend Chris Vadala, who is the head of the Jazz Dept at UMD, directs this ensemble. The Steve Wilson Quartet (Bruce Barth, Ed Howard and Adam Cruz all join him for this residency) will perform a concert on the last day that will feature a new work composed by Steve, and commissioned by UMD. All events are subject to change due to the long-lead time.
In-Demand in the Months Ahead, including CLASSICAL APPEARANCES:
October 21, 2008: Guest soloist with Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, playing music of Jobim.
November 2008: Wilson will lead a concert on Nov as part of the Austrian Cultural Forum's Jazz Festival: Vienna Meets New York. The music will feature works by Joe Zawinul, his early solo albums and some of his hits from his work with Cannonball Adderley. For this concert, which takes place at NYC's premiere jazz club, Jazz Standard, Wilson will be joined by some of NY's finest: Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Danny Grissett on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass and Rodney Green on drums.
'08/'09 School Year: Steve has been invited to be Artist in Residence at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg for the '08/'09 school year. He'll do two two-week intensive residency periods.
Early 2009: Wilson will perform on the highly anticipated Blue Note 70th Anniversary Tour...including an April 14-19 visit to Birdland.
April 21-26, 2009: Wilson will co-lead a quartet with pianist Michael Wolff at the Village Vanguard. Joining them will be Chip Jackson on bass and Victor Lewis on drums.
July 2009: Two appearances are confirmed at one of America's most prestigious chamber music festivals for the summer of '09. On July 22, Wilson will play a jazz concert with his quartet at the Vermont Music Festival, and on July 25 he will make his orchestral debut with the Villa Lobos' Fantasia for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra, with the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra, and conducted by Gil Shohat.
Also on the horizon: Steve Wilson works with Grammy award winning arranger and conductor Robert Sadin on a very special project: 'Charlie Parker - Looking Forward and Backward': Performing with classical musicians was always one of Parker's great dreams and ultimate satisfactions. This program explores the artistic alchemy of intersecting these great traditions. The repertoire includes classic songs from the Bird with Strings album, plus new arrangements of music of Ellington, Monk, and Mingus and as a special feature, Barber's Adagio for Strings. More details on this exciting project with Bob Sadin will be announced soon.
In a live review in the current issue of ALL ABOUT JAZZ - NY, Wilson's recent performance at the Rubin Museum in New York was described as follows: "Wilson wove his sound through the music in a manner that was spellbinding in its nuance and attentiveness to dynamics." https://www.allaboutjazz.com/newyork/aaj_ny_200809.pdf
Other current and upcoming projects for Steve Wilson include: ongoing touring with the Maria Schneider Orchestra; November dates with Mulgrew Miller, Maria Schneider and Bruce Barth; a 2-day residency at Cornell University in December, and more.
Recently nominated as Alto Player of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, and profiled in ALL ABOUT JAZZ, Wilson is known for his modest, warm personality...and for his in-depth knowledge of all-things-jazz. Read the major 'career' feature on Steve Wilson, from ALL ABOUT JAZZ, here: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=29437
