Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts

It’s always nice to hear some contemporary jazz that harkens back to the classic age of Miles, Coltrane, Parker, Mingus, etc. I’m sure there’s a lot of great stuff out there, it’s only that I don’t expose myself enough to it. Thanks to the Music Choice Jazz channel that my wife plays during my kids’ nap time (dodo music, they call it – “dodo” is creole for sleep), I came across Matt Wilson recently. Wilson is a jazz drummer and bandleader who has played for Lee Konitz, Charlie Haden, and Dewey Redman. For his Arts & Crafts project, he brought in trumpet player Terell Stafford, organ and piano man Gary Versace, and Dennis Irwin on bass.

Their third release, The Scenic Route, was released earlier this year. On this record, they offer their take on tunes by the likes of Ornette Coleman, Thelonius Monk, and Pat Metheny, while offering up some fresh originals like “25 Years of Rootabagas” (check out Versace’s killer Hammond B3) and the title track, which was the tune that caught my ear during a mid afternoon nap with my kids (ah naps, so rare and precious). There’s some great, unique sounds in this track, including Stafford’s trumpet (or is it a flugelhorn in this one?).

Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts – The Scenic Route (mp3)

Pick up The Scenic Route on or Amazon

Matt Wilson’s MySpace page and Official Site