Moment Of Truth (Remastered 2000) Gerald Wilson Big Band

• 1Viva Tirado (Remastered 2000)05:40
• 2Moment Of Truth (Remastered 2000)04:15
• 3Patterns (Remastered 2000)05:54
• 4Teri (Remastered 2000)02:52
• 5Nancy Jo (Remastered 2000)02:37
• 6Milestones (Remastered 2000)05:31
• 7Latino (Remastered 2000)05:00
• 8Josefina (Remastered 2000)04:28
• 9Emerge (Remastered 2000)03:23
• Total Runtime39:40

Info zu Moment Of Truth (Remastered 2000)

Composer, arranger and trumpeter Gerald Wilson has recorded big band albums of extraordinarily consistent brilliance throughout his remarkable and enormously long career. And those he made in the 1960s represent one of several peaks.

On both You Better Believe It! and its worthy follow-up Moment of Truth, Wilsons writing is personal and uncluttered; he resists the temptation to deploy all his forces at once, building logically to climactic tutti passages, dealing mostly with blues and groovy originals. The orchestra, made up of top West Coast men, generates a strong drive, plays cleanly and precisely, and was blessed with fine soloists. Holmes is impressive with a big band shouting behind and around him. Carmell Jones, who is also heavily featured, shows he was a thinking young musician. But as good as them were Teddy Edwards, Walter Benton, Harold Land, Joe Maini, Jack Wilson, and guitarist Joe Pass, who plays stunningly in every one of his featured segments.

Amid this wealth of jazz talent, though, Wilsons writing, particularly on Moment of Truth, remains the star of the show, with a harmonic sophistication that is never exercised at the expense of jazz virtues like groove, drive and swing.

"Gerald Wilson's Pacific Jazz albums of the 1960s were arguably the most significant of his career. This reissues his second record of the period and has among its highlights the original version of "Viva Tirado" (a catchy number made into a surprise pop hit by El Chicano later in the decade) and a driving rendition of "MIlestones"; the other seven songs (six of which are Wilson's originals) are also quite enjoyable. Among the more notable soloists are trumpeter Carmell Jones, both Teddy Edwards and Harold Land on tenor, guitarist Joe Pass, and pianist Jack Wilson. Recommended." (Scott Yanow, AMG)

Gerald Wilson, trumpet, arranger, conductor
John Audino, trumpet (tracks 6-9)
Jules Chaiken, trumpet (tracks 6-9)
Freddie Hill, trumpet (tracks 6-9)
Carmell Jones, trumpet (tracks 6-9)
Al Porcino, trumpet (tracks 6-9)
Lou Blackburn, trombone (tracks 6-9)
Bob Edmondson, trombone (tracks 6-9)
Lester Robertson, trombone (tracks 6-9)
Frank Strong, trombone (tracks 6-9)
Bob Knight, bass trombone
Joe Maini, alto saxophone
Bud Shank, alto saxophone, flute
Teddy Edwards, tenor saxophone
Harold Land, tenor saxophone
Jack Nimitz, baritone saxophone (tracks 6-9)
Don Raffell, baritone saxophone
Jack Wilson, piano
Joe Pass, guitar
Jimmy Bond, bass
Mel Lewis, drums
Modesto Duran, congas (tracks 1, 7)

Recorded August 27, and September 1962 at Pacific Jazz Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Produced by Richard Bock

Digitally remastered

Gerald Wilson
Wilson's use of multiple harmonies was a hallmark of his big bands, earning him a reputation as a leading composer and arranger. His band was one of the greats in jazz, leaning heavily on the blues but integrating other styles. His arrangements influenced many musicians that came after him, including multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, who dedicated the song "G.W." to Wilson on his 1960 release Outward Bound.

Wilson started out on the piano, learning from his mother, then taking formal lessons and classes in high school in Memphis, Tennessee. The family moved to Detroit in 1934, enabling him to study in the noted music program at Cass Tech High School. As a professional trumpeter, his first jobs were with the Plantation Club Orchestra. He took Sy Oliver's place in the Jimmie Lunceford band in 1939, remaining in the seat until 1942, when he moved to Los Angeles.

In California, he worked in the bands of Benny Carter, Les Hite, and Phil Moore. When the Navy sent him to its Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago, he found work in Willie Smith's band. He put together his own band in late 1944, which included Melba Liston, and replaced the Duke Ellington band at the Apollo Theatre when they hit New York. Wilson's work as a composer-arranger enabled him to work for the Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie bands. Wilson then accompanied Billie Holiday on her tour of the South in 1949.

In the early 1960s, he again led his own big bands. His series of Pacific Jazz recordings established his unique harmonic voice, and Mexican culture—especially the bullfight tradition—influenced his work. His appearance at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival increased his popularity.

He contributed his skill as an arranger and composer to artists ranging from Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, and Ella Fitzgerald to the Los Angeles Philharmonic to his guitarist-son Anthony. Additionally he was a radio broadcaster at KBCA and a frequent jazz educator. Among his more noted commissions were one for the 40th anniversary of the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1998, which he revisited in 2007 with his album Monterey Moods, and one for the 30th anniversary of the Detroit International Jazz Festival in 2009.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet