Steve Wilson (born February 9, 1961) is 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 ...

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

, who is best known in the musical community as a

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and an alto and soprano

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

. He also plays the

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

and the

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the s ...

. Wilson performs on many different instruments and has performed and recorded on over twenty-five albums. His interests include folk, jazz, classical, world music, and experimental music. Wilson is currently on the faculty of New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. He was elected as an American Champion by the National Flute Association. Wilson has maintained a busy career working as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, and has contributed to many musicians of note both in the recording studios, but as a

sideman A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform live with a solo artist, or with a group in which they are not a regular band member. The term is usually used to describe musicians that play with jazz or rock artists, whether solo ...

on tours. Over the years he has participated in engagements with several musical ensembles, as well as his own solo efforts. Wilson has not confined himself to the studio and stage. He has held teaching positions in several schools and universities, as well as holding jazz clinics.

Biography

As a teenager, Wilson played in rhythm and blues ( R&B) and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

bands. After a year accompanying singer

Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as " Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical '' The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from ...

, he attended

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

where he majored in music. In 1987 he moved to New York City, where he established himself as a

. He performed with the American Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, and the Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra. In 1988, he toured Europe with

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 ...

. Early in his career he was a member of Out of the Blue, a group which featured young artists signed to the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

label. Wilson was the subject of a 1996 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' profile, entitled "A Sideman's Life". That year he joined the Dave Holland Quintet. From 1998–2001, he was a member of Chick Corea's Origin sextet. He played and recorded on Japanese composer

Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and Record producer, music producer best known for her work on the soundtracks of anime series, television series, live-action films, video games, and Television advertisement, advertisements. She was born in Se ...

's debut album, '' Song to Fly'' and part of The Seatbelts' New York Musicians during that period. In 1997, he formed the Steve Wilson Quartet with pianist

Bruce Barth Bruce David Barth (born September 7, 1958) is a jazz pianist, composer, and producer. Early life Barth was born in Pasadena, California, on September 7, 1958. He started to play the piano around the age of five. He had private jazz lessons wit ...

, double bassist Ed Howard, and drummer

Adam Cruz } Adam Cruz is an American jazz drummer from New York City. Biography He is best known for his work with pianist Danilo Perez, saxophonist Steve Wilson (jazz musician), Steve Wilson, David Sánchez (musician), David Sanchez, and pianist Edward ...

. The group performed for over a decade and recorded two albums. He also headed a larger ensemble, Generations, which performed jazz and original compositions, and he has performed in a duo with drummer

Lewis Nash Lewis Nash (born December 30, 1958) is an American jazz drummer. According to '' Modern Drummer'' magazineNashhas one of the longest discographies in jazz and has played on over 400 records, earning him the honor of Jazz's Most Valuable Playe ...

In May 2007, he performed as a soloist for

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

during the Jamestown, Virginia quadricentennial. Wilson is on the faculty at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

, State University of New York at Purchase, and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He has been an artist-in-residence at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...

, and with the CITYFOLK arts program in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

. A septet formed that year in honor of the imminent 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled ''

Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

'', which was released in 2009 on Blue Note/EMI, and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January until April 2009.Allaboutjazz
The group plays the music of

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. ...

from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and Renee Rosnes. In 2010, Wilson celebrated his 50th birthday at Jazz Standard in New York City. He led six bands in six nights, with jazz musicians that included Karrin Allyson,

, Adam Cruz,

Carla Cook Carla Cook is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist. Biography Cook was drawn to a life of music at an early age. As a student at Cass Technical High School she played string bass in the school orchestra, studied piano and voice on weekends, and ...

, Ed Howard,

, Ugonna Okegwo,

Jeff "Tain" Watts Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, and others. Biography Watts got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny ...

, Freddie Hendrix,

Christian McBride Christian McBride (born May 31, 1972) is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner. McBride has performed and recorded with a number of j ...

, Mulgrew Miller, Linda Oh,

Geoffrey Keezer Geoffrey Keezer (born November 20, 1970) is an American jazz pianist. Keezer was playing in jazz clubs as a teenager, playing piano for Art Blakey at age 18 and touring with Joshua Redman, Benny Golson and Ray Brown in his 20s. He has toured w ...

, and John Wikan. One special feature was the inclusion of a string section to play music from ''Bird with Strings''. It was composed of Diane Monroe, Nardo Poy, Joyce Hammann, Chern Hwei, and Troy Stuart. The ''Wall Street Journal'' wrote a full-length feature article. In 2017, Wilson released a vinyl LP titled ''Sit Back, Relax & Unwind'' which was recorded, mixed and mastered exclusively with analog technology. The band on the album was Ray Angry, Ben Williams and Willie Jones III and it was released by JMI Recordings.

Discography

As leader

* ''New York Summit'' (

Criss Cross Jazz Criss Cross Jazz is a Dutch record company and label specializing in jazz. Criss Cross was established in 1980 by Gerry Teekens, a drummer and German professor.

, 1991) with Mulgrew Miller, James Genus * ''Step Lively'' (Criss Cross, 1993) with

Cyrus Chestnut Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer and producer. In 2006, Josh Tyrangiel, music critic for '' Time'', wrote: "What makes Chestnut the best jazz pianist of his generation is a willingness to abandon note ...

, Freddie Bryant, Dennis Irwin * ''Generations'' ( Stretch, 1998) with Mulgrew Miller, Ray Drummond * ''Passages'' (Stretch, 1999) with Nicolas Payton, Bruce Barth, Ed Howard, Adam Cruz * ''Soulful Song'' (

Maxjazz Maxjazz (corporately styled MAXJAZZ) was an American jazz record label founded in 1998 by investment banker Richard McDonnell. Maxjazz recordings are generally regarded as a "straight-ahead" acoustic style of jazz. It was based in St. Louis, Mis ...

, 2003) with Rene Marie, Carla Cook, Bruce Barth, Ed Howard, Adam Cruz * ''Home'' (We Always Swing, 2010) Co-leader with Bruce Barth, Recorded Live in Columbia, MO * ''Sit Back, Relax & Unwind'' (JMI Recordings 2017)

As sideman

* Carl Allen/Rodney Whitaker, Get Ready (Mack Avenue) * Karrin Allyson, In Blue (Concord) * Karrin Allyson, Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane (Concord) * DMP Big Band, Tribute to Duke Ellington (DMP) * DMP Big Band, Carved in Stone (DMP) * Rob Bargad, Better Times(Criss Cross) * Bruce Barth, Morning Call (Enja) * Bruce Barth, In Focus (Enja) * Bruce Barth, Hope Springs Eternal (Double Time) * Bruce Barth, East and West (Maxjazz) * Noah Baerman, Soul Force (Lemel) * Louie Bellson, Live from NYC (Telarc) * David Berkman, Handmade (Palmetto) * David Berkman, Communication Theory (Palmetto) * Chris Berger, Conversations (KSJazz) * Paul Bollenback, Soul Grooves (Challenge Records) * Jimmy Bosch, Singing Trombone (Ryko) * Don Braden, After Dark (Criss Cross) * Michael Brecker, Wide Angles (Verve) * Donald Brown, Car Tunes (Muse) * Donald Brown, Send One Our Love (Muse) * Bill Bruford, Earthworks Underground Orchestra (Summerfold) * Freddie Bryant, Take your Dance into Battle (Jazz City/Spirit) * Freddie Bryant, Boogaloo Brasiliero, (Fresh Sound) * Freddie Bryant, Kaleidoscope, (Fresh Sound) * Laverne Butler, A Foolish Thing To Do (Maxjazz) * Charlie Byrd, Louis, (Concord) * Don Byron, Bug Music, (Nonesuch) * Ron Carter, Great Big Band, (EMI) * Billy Childs, Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro (Sony Masterworks) * Billy Childs, The Child Within, (Shanachie/Cachet) * Avishai Cohen, Adama, (Stretch) * Chick Corea, Corea Concerto, (Sony/Stretch) (Grammy Winner) * Chick Corea, Rendezvous in New York, (Stretch) * Chick Corea, Elektric Band: To The Stars, (Stretch) * Chick Corea & Origin, Live at the Blue Note, (Stretch) * Chick Corea & Origin, A Week at the Blue Note, (Stretch) * Chick Corea & Origin, Change, (Stretch) * Chick Corea & Origin, Originations, (Stretch) * Roz Corral, Telling Tales, (Blu Jazz) * Steve Davis, Portrait in Sound, (Stretch) * Dena DeRose, Introducing Dena DeRose, (Amosaya) * Dena DeRose, Another World, (Sharp Nine) * Kenny Drew, Jr., Follow the Spirit, (Sirocco) * George Duke, Duke, (BPM) *

Billy Drummond Willis Robert "Billy" Drummond Jr. (born June 19, 1959) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Billy Drummond was born in Newport News, Virginia, where he grew up listening to the extensive jazz record collection of his father, an amateur dr ...

, '' Native Colours'', (Criss Cross. 1992) * Greg Gisbert, On Second Thought, (Criss Cross) * Darrell Grant, Truth and Reconciliation, (Origin) * Edsel Gomez, Cubist Music, (Zoho Music) * Kevin Bruce Harris, Folk Songs/Folk Tales, (Enja) * Stefon Harris, A Cloud of Red Dust, (Blue Note) * Kevin Hays, El Matador, (Jazz City) * David Hazeltine, How It Is, (Criss Cross) * Joe Henderson, Big Band, Verve (Grammy Winner) * Dave Holland, Points of View, ECM (Grammy Winner) * Chie Imaizumi, A Time of New Beginnings, Capri Records * Ingrid Jensen & Project O, Now As Then, Jig Records * Ingrid Jensen, Vernal Fields, Enja * Kelley Johnson, Make Someone Happy, Sapphire * Ronnie Jordan, A Brighter Day, Blue Note/Angel * Yoko Kanno, Song To Fly, Victor Entertainment * Geoffrey Keezer, Falling Up, Maxjazz * Jonny King, Meltdown, Enja * Steve Kroon, El Mas Alla (Beyond, Kroonatune) * Mike LeDonne, Tribute to Milt Jackson, Double-Time * Victor Lewis, 3 Way Conversation, Red Records * Dave Liebman, Classique, Owl * Gunnar Mossblad, The Seasons Reflected Soul Note/CAM * Didier Lockwood, Storyboard, Dreyfus * Kevin Mahogany, Songs & Moments, Enja * Pete Malinverni, Make A Joyful Noise, ArtistShare * Mulgrew Miller, The Sequel, Maxjazz * Allison Miller, 5AM, Stroll * Foxhaven, Bill Mobley New Light Space Time * Stephanie Mills Tantalizingly Hot 20th Century Fox * Gunnar Mossblad, ''Convergence'' (Mossblad Music) * Gunnar Mossblad & The Manhattan Sax Ensemble, ''The Dogwalk'' (GPC Recordings) * Shunzo Ohno, ''Maya'' (Three Blind Mice) * Junko Onishi, ''Junko Onishi'' (Nippon Crown) * Leon Parker, ''Belief'' (Sony) * Leon Parker, ''Awakening'' (Sony) * Clarence Penn, ''Saomaye'' (Verve Japan) * Ken Peplowski, ''A Good Reed'' (Concord) * Ralph Peterson, ''Art of Blakey'' (Blue Note) * Ralph Peterson, ''Reclamation Project'' (Evidence) * Ralph Peterson, ''The Fo'tet Plays Monk'' (Evidence) * Ralph Peterson, ''V'' (Blue Note) * Ralph Peterson, ''Volition'' (Blue Note) * Leslie Pintchik Quartets Ambient Records * Mika Pohjola Northern Sunrise Blue Music Group * Dianne Reeves, The Calling: A Tribute to Sarah Vaughn, Blue Note (Grammy Winner) * Dianne Reeves, Christmas Time Is Here, Blue Note * Renee Rosnes For The Moment, Blue Note * Michele Rosewoman, Qunitessence/Harvest Enja * Michele Rosewoman, Quintessence / Guardians of the Light Enja * Maria Schneider, ''

Sky Blue Sky blue is a shade of light blue comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. The term (as "sky blew") is attested from 1681. A 1585 translation of Nicolas de Nicolay's 1576 ''Les navigations, peregrinations et voyages faicts en la Turquie'' i ...

'' ArtistShare * Loren Schoenberg, Manhattan Work Song Jazz Heritage * Loren Schoenberg, Out of this World TCB Music * David Schumacher, Another Life Amosaya * Jae Sinnett, The Sinnett ngs J-Net Records * Jae Sinnett, House and Sinnett PositiveMusic * Neal Smith, Live at Smalls Smalls Live * Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra, Big Band Treasure-Live Smithsonian * Terell Stafford, New Beginnings Maxjazz * Terell Stafford, Time to Let Go Candid * Bill Stewart, Telepathy Blue Note * Joan Stiles, Hurly-Burly Oo-Bla-Dee * Sunny Sumter, Getting to Know You J. Jordan Music * Tom Varner, Swimming Omnitone Records * Melissa Walker, Invitation to Love Enja * Michael Weiss, Soul Journey Sintra Records * Scott Wendholt, From Now On Criss Cross * Buster Williams, Joined at the Hip TCB * James Williams Jazz Dialogues, Vol. 1, Will Power (Finas Music) * James Williams Jazz Dialogues, Vol. 4, Music For A While (Finas Music) * James Williams & ICU, ''Truth, Justice & the Blues'' (Evidence) * James Williams & ICU, ''We've Got What You Need'' (Evidence) * James Williams Quintet, ''Live at Mills Hall'' (La Dome) * Michael Wolff, ''Joe's Strut'' (Wrong Records) * Anthony Wonsey, ''Exodus'' (Alfa Jazz, 1996) *

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

, '' In My Time'' (

Mack Avenue Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company is a sponsor ...

, 2005) * Gerald Wilson, '' Monterey Moods'' (Mack Avenue, 2007) *

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philade ...

, '' The Traveler'' (Sunnyside, 2008) * Gerald Wilson, ''

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) *

Yōsuke Yamashita is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer and writer. His piano style is influenced by free jazz, modal jazz and soul jazz. Since the late 1980s, Yamashita's main performing group has consisted of Cecil McBee (bass), Pheeroan akLaff (drums), and oft ...

, ''Field of Grooves'' (Verve, 2009) * Christian McBride, '' Kind of Brown'' (Mack Avenue, 2009) *

Miho Hazama is a Tokyo-born composer and jazz musician, based in New York City. Early life and career Miho Hazama started to play electric keyboard at the age of three at Yamaha Music Foundation's School, and received attention when she proceeded to the fi ...

, '' Journey to Journey'' (Verve, 2012) * Christian McBride, ''

Bringin' It ''Bringin' It'' is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his big band. The record was released on September 22, 2017 via the Mack Avenue label—both on CD and on LP. After ''The Good Feeling'', this is his sec ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2017) * Christian McBride, '' Live at the Village Vanguard'' (Mack Avenue, 2021)

References

External links

Jazz Corner - Steve WilsonSteve Wilson on Blue Music GroupJazz News - Steve Wilson: Band Leader, Sideman, Historian, Educator, "Jazz Master"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Steve Living people 1961 births American jazz flautists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz clarinetists Musicians from Hampton, Virginia Criss Cross Jazz artists Post-bop saxophonists Jazz-funk saxophonists American session musicians 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Virginia 21st-century clarinetists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Christian McBride Big Band members The Blue Note 7 members Out of the Blue (American band) members 21st-century flautists