Matt Wilson Quartet + John Medeski: Gathering Call

I’m not interested in educated audiences ….. I like people open to hear it (Quote: Matt Wilson)
A union, reunion and a communion; a sonic celebration
Hans Koert

It seems to me as if the best jazz albums are born during a spontaneous “gathering”, where members and guests are invited to join in …….  A year ago Matt Wilson invited piano player John Medeski, admired for his  remarkable musical instincts, as Matt explains in the liner notes of his upcoming album, an endearing spirit and deep roots in a wide range of music …. to be part of a recording session at Maggie’s Farm, January 29th, 2013. 

Matt Wilson Quartet: f.l.t.r.:Matt Wilson - Jeff Lederer - Kirk Knuffke - Chris Lightcap ( photo courtesy Tom Foley)

 Matt Wilson’s forthcoming album Gathering Call by his quartet, features  reed player Jeff Lederer; cornet player Kirk Knuffke; bassist Chris Lightcap bass and Matt Wilson on drums.  Guest: John Medeski at the piano.

Matt Wilson (photo courtesy: Jimmy Katz)

Matt Wilson was born in September 1964 in Knoxville (Ill) and started to play the drums due to Buddy Rich he had seen on television.  When he was a young teenager he already played with his  brother Mark Wilson, who played reeds, in local bands. He performed late 1980s in bands like Mike Turk’s  ( Matt’s debut was released on a Tin Sandwich cd-album Harmonica salad: Jazz and Blues), the Either/Orchestra  and the Mandala Octet, which both featured John Medeski at the piano.  

Matt Wilson (photo courtesy: John Rogers)

My wife Felicia and I moved to Boston in August 1987. Our very first night out we heard a pianist with a sound, feel and energy that was truly extraordinary. The pianist was John Medeski and we became instant fans, Matt remembers in the liner notes.  Since the 1990s Matt Wilson could be heard in bands with great names like Dewey Redman and Lee Konitz, Ted Nash and Bill Mays. He debuted with his own group almost 20 years ago at the Palmetto album As Wave Follow Wave, featuring Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone …. Gathering Call is his eleventh album as a leader.

Enjoy a fragment of a portrait of Matt Wilson by Bret Primack …….   



Guest piano player John Medeski grew up in Florida and joined the New England Conservatory in Boston where he performed with Dewey Redman, Bob Mintzer and bluesman Louis Hayes, aka  Mr. Jelly Belly. 

John Medeski (source: Wikipedia.org)

He became known by his trio Medeski-Martin and Wood. Ian Carr labels him as ...  a virtuoso  with a vision that combines rock, funk, ethnic and jazz rhythms with electronics, harmonies, non-tonal sounds and outright free improvisations …….  Well …. John Medeski’s playing fits well in this album and quartet or, as Matt it describes …. Every sound he offers to a song lifts and inspires. 

The album contains more then a dozen tracks, half Matt’s own compositions – half compositions by others, like the great opener Main Stem and You Dirty Dog, both originally published by Duke Ellington; both belong to my favorites. Other tracks are composed by Hugh Lawson and Butch Warren, who's responsable for the bossa nova composition Barack Obama. Charlie Rouse’s Pumpkin’s Delight, first recorded by the Charlie Rouse Quartet, featuring Kenny Barron, Buster Williams and Ben Riley (1983) has also found a place in the track list. Some Assembly Required belongs to my absolute favorites of this album – it learns what a great drummer Matt Wilson is …..  And what to say about the ballad If I Were A Boy with a great intro by Kirk Knuffke on cornet and Chris Lightcap ( He first recorded with Matt ten years ago at a Mary LaRose recording session for Little Music) on bass. 

Try to find your copy.

Hans Koert
editor
keepswinging@live.nl
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It seems to me as if the best jazz albums are born during a spontaneous “gathering”, where members and guests are invited to join in …….  A year ago Matt Wilson invited piano player John Medeski, admired for his  remarkable musical instincts, as Matt explains in the liner notes of his upcoming album, an endearing spirit and deep roots in a wide range of music …. to be part of a recording session at Maggie’s Farm, January 29th, 2013.... Matt Wilson's latest album, featuring pianist John Medeski: Gathering Call. 

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