Anthony Wilson is one of the leading jazz musicians of his generation.
Known for his imagination, maturity, and depth, the guitarist/composer/arranger
has recorded eight critically-acclaimed solo albums since 1997,
including his Grammy-nominated self-titled debut album, 2006’s
“Power of Nine,” which was included in The New Yorker’s
roundup of the year’s top ten jazz albums, and “Nova,”
a widely-lauded collaboration with Brazilian guitarist/composer
Chico Pinheiro. Wilson’s 2009 recording “Jack of Hearts,”
featuring Larry Goldings, Jeff Hamilton, and the legendary Jim
Keltner, approached the classic guitar-organ-drums trio format
with and a spirit of play and possibility.
A sensitive and gifted accompanist as well as a formidable
soloist, Anthony Wilson has been an indispensable member of
Diana Krall’s quartet since he joined her in 2001 for a
series of performances at Paris’ Olympia Theater that were
collected on the Grammy-winning CD/DVD “Live In Paris”
(Verve), already widely considered a classic. Recordings and
performances during the past decade with Willie Nelson, Mose
Allison, Bobby Hutcherson, Barbra Streisand, Madeleine Peyroux,
Jessie Baylin, and Aaron Neville have continued to spotlight
Wilson’s growing artistry, musical flexibility, and improvisational
authority. Producers Tommy LiPuma, Joe Henry, and Jesse Harris
frequently call on Wilson for his unique contributions to their
projects; and Bennie Wallace, Larry Goldings, Harold Land, the
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and his father, the legendary
composer/arranger/bandleader Gerald Wilson, are just a few of
the respected artists with whom the gifted guitarist has forged
fruitful, lasting partnerships.
Anthony Wilson’s abiding love for jazz tradition and his
equal willingness to take risks are the hallmarks of his skillful,
inspired work as a composer and arranger. Wilson won the Thelonious
Monk Institute International Composers’ Competition in
1995, and since then has received numerous commissions for small-
and large-scale original works. In 2008, his orchestral composition
“Virgo” was commissioned by the LA Philharmonic Association
and premiered at the Hollywood Bowl; and in 2009 his orchestral
arrangement of Ivan Lins’ “Love Dance” was featured
on Barbra Streisand’s #1-charting recording “Love
is the Answer.”
Anthony Wilson’s considerable talents as a “triple-threat”
guitarist/composer/arranger regularly land him at the top levels
of all three of those categories in Downbeat Magazine’s
International Critics’ poll.
