Jack Wilson was an elegant jazz pianist. Like George Shearing, Ahmad Jamal, Billy Taylor and Ramsey Lewis, among others in the early 1960s, Wilson was best heard in a posh wood-paneled hotel club, where the piano and acoustics were sensational and drinks were top shelf. [Photo above of Jack Wilson by Francis Wolff]
Wilson's piano technique was exceptional while his sound can be categorized as easy and relaxed. Before he started recording as a leader in 1963, Wilson accompanied Dinah Washington on recordings from 1957 to 1962. Then he recorded with Gerald Wilson (no relation), Nancy Wilson (still no relation), Sarah Vaughan and many others.
One of Wilson's smartest groups as an early leader was a quartet that recorded between 1963 and '66 and included vibraphonist Roy Ayers. This month, a new album, Call Me: Jazz From the Penthouse With the Jack Wilson Quartet, Featuring Roy Ayers, provides us with a previously unreleased live set by the quartet at The Penthouse in Seattle during the summer of 1966.
The materiel on the release, writes producer Kristian St. Clair (above) in liner notes, came from radio-show tapes owned by Charlie Puzzo Jr., son of Charles Puzzo Sr., the Penthouse's owner, and radio personality Jim Wilke. Wilson's sets that summer were aired live on Seattle radio, and Wilke had the good sense to tape the broadcasts.
Kristian's name may sound familiar. In 2014, he directed the documentary This Is Gary McFarland, which I wrote about for The Wall Street Journal (go here).
Backing Wilson and Ayers (above) at the Penthouse were Buddy Woodson on bass and Von Barlow on drums. The tracks on the album are Call Me, Serenata, Wilson's Harbor Freeway 5 P.M., Here's That Rainy Day, Wilson's C.F.D, The Shadow of Your Smile, Wilson's Nirvana, Clare Fischer's Pensativa and Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments.
Overall, the standards are standouts—Call Me and Serenata run a combined 18-plus minutes, and every note is a joy. Wilson's tag of Sleigh Ride during Serenata was a tip of the hat to composer Leroy Anderson, who wrote both songs. But it's C.F.D. that's the album highlight. On the song, Wilson's speed and grace on the keyboard are a delight.
Best of all, the album's fidelity is remarkable. There's nothing quite like a radio tape, but hats off to Kristian as well as Kyle Eagle, Charlie Puzzo Jr. and Jim Wilke, the original recording engineer, for taking care of the tapes and revitalizing them for release.
Jack Wilson died in 2007.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Call Me: Jazz From the Penthouse With the Jack Wilson Quartet, Featuring Roy Ayers (Century 67) here.
JazzWax clip: Here's C.F.D. with spirited solos by Wilson and Ayers...