Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. In addition to being a band leader, Wilson wrote arrangements for

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Julie London Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty album ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, Benny Carter,

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

, and Nancy Wilson.

Early life

Wilson was born in

Shelby, Mississippi Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,229 at the 2010 census, down from 2,926 in 2000. The town of Shelby was established in 1853 by Tom Shelby, who had purchased a block of land there from the fede ...

, and at the age of 16 moved to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, where he graduated from

Cass Technical High School Cass Technical High School (simply referred to as Cass Tech) is a public high school in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, United States.

(one of his classmates was saxophonist Wardell Gray).Peter Vacher
"Gerald Wilson obituary"
''The Guardian'', 15 September 2014. He joined the Jimmie Lunceford orchestra in 1939, replacing its trumpeter and arranger, Sy Oliver. While with Lunceford, Wilson contributed songs to the band, including "Hi Spook" and "Yard-dog Mazurka", the first influenced by Ellington's recording of "

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

" and the latter an influence on Stan Kenton's "Intermission Riff".William Yardley
"Gerald Wilson, Versatile Jazz Arranger, Is Dead at 96"
''The New York Times'', September 9, 2014. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Wilson also performed for a brief time with the U.S. Navy, with

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duk ...

, Willie Smith and Jimmy Nottingham. Around 2005, many of the members of the band reunited as The Great Lakes Experience Big Band" with Wilson conducting and Ernie Andrews making a guest appearance at the invitation of Clark Terry. Wilson also played and arranged for the bands of Benny Carter,

, Count Basie and

Career

Wilson formed his own band, with some success in the mid-1940s. Wilson and His 20-Pc. Recording Orchestra performed at the famed twelfth

Cavalcade of Jazz The Cavalcade of Jazz was the first large outdoor jazz entertainment event of its kind produced by an African American, Leon Hefflin, Sr. The event was held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, Lane Field in San Diego and the last one at the Shrine Audi ...

held at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

in Los Angeles which was produced by

Leon Hefflin, Sr Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fr ...

. on September 2, 1956. Also performing that day were

, The Mel Williams Dots, Julie Stevens,

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

, Chuck Higgin's Orchestra, Willie Hayden & Five Black Birds, The Premiers, Bo Rhambo, and Jerry Gray and his Orchestra. In 1960, he formed a Los Angeles-based band that began a series of critically acclaimed recordings for the

Pacific Jazz Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...

label. His 1968 album ''California Soul'' featured a title track written by Ashford & Simpson, as well as a version of

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

' hit " Light My Fire". Musicians in the band at various times included lead trumpeter Snooky Young, trumpet soloist Carmell Jones and saxophonists Bud Shank, Joe Maini, Harold Land, Teddy Edwards, and Don Raffell. The rhythm section included guitarist

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

Richard Holmes (organist) Richard Arnold "Groove" Holmes (May 2, 1931 – June 29, 1991) was an American jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of " Misty". Career Holmes's first album, on Pacific ...

, vibists

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at ...

and

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note album ''Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...

, and drummers Mel Lewis and Mel Lee. Wilson's wife of more than 50 years, Josefina Villasenor Wilson, is Mexican-American, and a number of his compositions showed his love of Spanish/Mexican themes, especially "Viva Tirado", which later became a hit for the rock band El Chicano. With his wife, Wilson had three daughters (Jeri, Lillian (Teri) and Nancy Jo), his son Anthony (who is guitarist for Diana Krall), and a number of grandchildren, all of whom have songs composed for them—his compositions were often inspired by his family members. Wilson continued leading bands and recording in later decades for the

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discove ...

and MAMA labels. Recent musicians included

Luis Bonilla Luis Diego Bonilla (October 12, 1965) is an American jazz trombonist of Costa Rican descent. He is also a producer, composer, and educator. Biography Early life, musical education and influences Luis Bonilla was born and raised in Eagle Rock, ...

, Rick Baptist, Randall Willis, Wilson's son-in-law Shuggie Otis and son Anthony Wilson (both guitarists); his grandson Eric Otis also played on such recordings. Wilson continued to record Spanish-flavored compositions, notably the bravura trumpet solos "Carlos" (named for Mexican matador

Carlos Arruza Carlos Arruza (February 17, 1920 – May 20, 1966), born Carlos Ruiz Camino, was one of the most prominent bullfighters of the 20th century. He was known as "El Ciclón" ("the cyclone"). Arruza was born in Mexico to Spanish parents. He bega ...

, and recorded three times over the years, featuring trumpeters Jimmy Owens,

Oscar Brashear Oscar Brashear (born August 18, 1944) is an American jazz trumpeterRon Barrows) and "Lomelin" (also named for a matador—Antonio Lomelin—and recorded twice, with solos by Oscar Brashear and

Jon Faddis Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator, renowned for both his playing and for his expertise in the field of music education. Upon his first appearance on the scene, he became known ...

The National Endowment for the Arts named Wilson an NEA Jazz Master in 1990. In 1998 Wilson received a commission from the

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...

for an original composition, resulting in "Theme for Monterey", which was performed at that year's festival. In later years, he formed orchestras on the West and East coasts, each with local outstanding musicians. He also made special appearances as guest conductor, including with the

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

Jazz Band (now the

Jazz Orchestra of New York), the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble and European radio jazz orchestras, conducting the BBC Big Band in 2005. He hosted an innovative show, in the 1970s, on KBCA in Los Angeles, which was co-hosted by Dennis Smith, where he played "...music of the past, the present, and the future." Wilson was a member of the faculty at

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

, for many years recently winning a "teacher of the year" award. In the 1970s he also served on the faculty at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...

, where he taught Jazz History to wide acclaim among the student body, and has also taught at Cal Arts in Los Angeles. In February 2006,

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra performed his music with Gerald Wilson conducting. He had a unique style of conducting: "Garbed in well tailored suits, his long white hair flowing, Wilson shaped the music with dynamic movements and the elegant grace of a modern dancer." Asked about his style of conducting by Terry Gross on the NPR show ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...

'' in 2006, he replied, "It's different from any style you've ever seen before. I move. I choreograph the music as I conduct. You see, I point it out, everything you're to listen to." In June 2007, Wilson returned to the studio with producer Al Pryor and an all-star big band to record a special album of compositions commissioned and premiered at the

for the festival's 50th anniversary. Wilson had helped lead celebrations of the festival's 20th and 40th anniversary with his specially commissioned works (1998's Grammy-nominated album ''Theme for Monterey''). The album ''Monterey Moods'' was released on Mack Avenue Records in September 2007. In September 2009, Wilson conducted his eight-movement suite "Detroit", commissioned by the Detroit Jazz Festival to mark its 30th anniversary. The work includes a movement entitled "Cass Tech" in honor of his high school alma mater. In 2011, his last recording was the Grammy-nominated ''Legacy''.

Death

Wilson died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on September 8, 2014, four days after his 96th birthday, after a brief illness that followed a bout of pneumonia, which had hospitalized him.

Awards and honors

*1990 NEA Jazz Masters Award *1996 Library of Congress Gerald Wilson archive of his life's work *1997 American Jazz Award: Best Arranger and Best Big Band *2008 Monterey Jazz Festival Jazz Legends Award *2012 Los Angeles County Museum of Art/Los Angeles Jazz Society L.A. Jazz Treasure Award Grammy nominations National Academy of Recordings Arts and Sciences reference page fo
Gerald Wilson - Grammys and nominations
, - , style="text-align:center;", , "Tell Me the Truth" (track for Nancy Wilson) , Best Background arrangement (behind vocalists or instrumentalist) , , - , style="text-align:center;", , "Paco" (track) , Best Original Jazz Composition , , - , style="text-align:center;", , '' State Street Sweet'' (album) , Best Large Ensemble Jazz Performance , , - , style="text-align:center;", , '' Theme For Monterey'' (album) , Best Large Ensemble Jazz Performance , , - , style="text-align:center;", , "Romance" (track) , Best Instrumental Composition , , - , style="text-align:center;", , '' New York, New Sound'' (album) , Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album , , - , style="text-align:center;", , ''

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

'' (album) , Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album , , - Grammy Award–nominated and -winning singles or albums contributed to {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year ! Grammy category ! Album or Single ! Primary artist ! Label ! Role/Content composed or arranged ! Honor , - , rowspan="3", 1959 , align="center", Best Musical Composition First Recorded and Released in 1959 (more than 5 minutes duration) , rowspan="3", '' Anatomy of a Murder'' (Soundtrack album) , rowspan="3",

, rowspan="3",

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, rowspan="3", trumpet/instrumentalist on all tracks , , - , align="center", Best Sound Track Album , , - , align="center", Best Performance by a Dance Band , , - , 1963 , align="center",

Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

, rowspan="2", '' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'' (album) , rowspan="2",

, rowspan="2",

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

, rowspan="2", arranger - Bye Bye Love/ Just A Little Lovin'/

Careless Love "Careless Love" is a traditional song, with several popular blues versions. It has been called a "nineteenth-century ballad and Dixieland standard". The death referenced in an old version was the son of a Kentucky governor. Although published acc ...

/ Hey, Good Lookin' , , - , 1999 , align="center", Grammy Hall of Fame , , -

Discography

As leader

* '' You Better Believe It!'' (

, 1961) * '' Moment of Truth'' (Pacific Jazz, 1962) * ''

Portraits A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For thi ...

'' (Pacific Jazz, 1964) * '' On Stage'' (Pacific Jazz, 1965) * '' McCann/Wilson'' with

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist.Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

(Pacific Jazz, 1965) * '' Feelin' Kinda Blues'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * ''

The Golden Sword ''The Golden Sword'', published in 1977, is a science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventio ...

'' (Pacific Jazz, 1966) * ''

Live and Swinging ''Live and Swinging'' (subtitled ''The Gerald Wilson Orchestra Plays Standards and Blues'') is a live album by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra recorded in 1967 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.Everywhere'' (Pacific Jazz, 1968) * '' California Soul'' (Pacific Jazz, 1968) * ''

Eternal Equinox ''Eternal Equinox'' is an album by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra recorded in 1969 which became his last released on the Pacific Jazz label.Lomelin ''Lomelin'' is an album by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra of the 80's recorded in 1981 and released on the Discovery label.Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discove ...

, 1981) * '' Jessica'' ( Trend, 1982) * '' Calafia'' (Trend, 1984) * ''

Jenna Jenna is a female given name. In the English-speaking world it is a variation of Jenny, which is itself a diminutive of Jane, Janet, Jennifer and is often used as a name in its own right.Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of Baby Names'', Worth P ...

'' (Discovery, 1989) * '' State Street Sweet'' (MAMA Foundation/

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...

, 1994) * ''Suite Memories'' (MAMA Foundation, 1996) * '' Theme for Monterey'' (MAMA Foundation/Summit, 1997) * '' New York, New Sound'' ( Mack Avenue, 2003) * '' In My Time'' (Mack Avenue, 2005) * '' Monterey Moods'' (Mack Avenue, 2007) * ''

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2009) * ''

'' (Mack Avenue, 2011)

As sideman

With Buddy Collette * '' Man of Many Parts'' (Contemporary, 1956) * ''Buddy's Best'' (Dooto, 1958) * ''Polynesia'' (Music & Sound, 1959) With

* '' Dance to the Duke!'' (Capitol, 1954) * '' Anatomy of a Murder'' (Columbia, 1959) * ''

Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G. ''Swinging Suites by Edward E. & Edward G.'' (also known as ''Peer Gynt Suite/Suite Thursday'') is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1960 featuring a jazz interpretation of '' ...

'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''Piano in the Background'' (Columbia, 1962) With Jimmy Witherspoon * ''Singin' the Blues'' (World Pacific, 1959) * '' 'Spoon'' (Reprise, 1961) * ''Roots'' (Reprise, 1962) With others * Count Basie, ''The Count'' (RCA Camden, 1958) * Count Basie, ''Shoutin' Blues 1949'' (Bluebird, 1993) * Kenny Burrell, ''75th Birthday Bash Live!'' (Blue Note/EMI, 2006) * Red Callender, ''

The Lowest ''The Lowest'' is an album by bassist and tubist Red Callender, recorded for the MetroJazz label in 1958. ...

'' (MetroJazz, 1958) *

Curtis Counce Curtis Counce (January 23, 1926 – July 31, 1963) was an American hard bop and West Coast jazz double bassist. Biography Counce was born in Kansas City, Missouri and moved to California in 1945. He began recording in 1946 with Lester Youn ...

, ''

Carl's Blues ''Carl's Blues'' is an album by American jazz bassist Curtis Counce recorded in 1957 and 1958 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (Contemporary, 1960) * Curtis Counce, '' Sonority'' (Contemporary, 1989) * Neal Hefti, ''Jazz Pops'' (Reprise, 1962) * Carmell Jones, ''Business Meetin' '' (Pacific Jazz, 1962) *

Tricky Lofton Lawrence "Tricky" Lofton (born May 28, 1930, Houston) is an American jazz trombonist. He studied with Kid Ory, and J. J. Johnson, and made several recordings with Carmell Jones. Discography As sideman * Bill Doggett, ''Dance Awhile with Doggett'' ...

& Carmell Jones, ''Brass Bag'' (Pacific Jazz, 1962) * Jimmie Lunceford, ''Lunceford Special'' (Columbia, 1956; reissue: 1967) * Jimmie Lunceford, ''The Chronological Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra 1939-1940'' (Classics, 1991) *

, '' Les McCann Sings'' (Pacific Jazz, 1961) * Little Esther, ''Better Beware'' (Charly, 1990) * Googie Rene, ''Romesville!'' (Class, 1959) * Leroy Vinnegar, ''

Leroy Walks! ''Leroy Walks!'' is the debut album by American jazz bassist Leroy Vinnegar recorded in 1957 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (Contemporary, 1958)

References

Jürgen Wölfer Jürgen Wölfer (25 December 1944 – 24 July 2015) was a German music writer and historian with focus on Jazz. Life Born in Eisleben, Wölfer studied education, graduated with a diploma and worked for a long time in the record industry, where ...

, Gerald Wilson Discography, Almere (NL) 2012