Detroit (Gerald Wilson album)

Detroit
Studio album by Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Released	September 28, 2009
Recorded	2009 New York and Los Angeles
Genre	Jazz
Length	62:47
Label	Mack Avenue MAC 1049
Producer	Al Pryor
Gerald Wilson chronology
Monterey Moods (2007) Detroit (2009) Legacy (2011)

Detroit is an album by the Gerald Wilson Orchestra recorded in 2009 and released on the Mack Avenue label.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
All About Jazz	[3]

AllMusic rated the album with 4 stars; in his review, Michael G. Nastos noted: "A quite spirited and energetic music is heard here from the 90-year-old Wilson, whose charm and wit would rival anyone many decades his junior. It's a swinging affair molded in the traditional big-band visage of Count Basie, Ernie Wilkins, or early Quincy Jones, with Wilson's deft touch for embellishing the blues".[2] In JazzTimes Owen Cordle wrote: "Wilson’s chord progressions, chord voicings and rhythmic figures for the ensemble are strong characteristics of his writing. He also has a flair for atmospheric themes. One could quibble about the combo-esque strings of solos and the scarcity of ensemble interludes. Nevertheless, his writing style continues to serve him well".[4] On All About Jazz Robert J. Robbins noted: "Gerald Wilson's six-movement "Detroit Suite" demonstrates that after nearly seven decades in the music business, the nonagenarian composer and arranger still has a great deal to offer in terms of musical creativity".[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Gerald Wilson.

1. "Blues on Belle Isle" - 5:30
2. "Cass Tech" - 8:47
3. "Detroit" - 6:40
4. "Miss Gretchen" - 7:07
5. "Before Motown" - 7:12
6. "The Detroit River" - 8:47
7. "Everywhere" - 12:32
8. "Aram" - 6:12

Personnel

• Gerald Wilson - arranger, conductor
• Los Angeles Band (tracks 1-6):
  • Jeff Kaye, Rick Baptist, Winston Bird, Ron Barrows - trumpet
  • Eric Jorgensen, Les Benedict, Mike Wimberly, Shaunte Palmer - trombone
  • Carl Randall, Kamasi Washington, Jackie Kelso, Louis Van Taylor, Randall Willis, Terry Laudry - reeds
  • Brian O' Rourke - piano
  • Trey Henry - bass
  • Mell Lee - drums
  • Special guests: Sean Jones - trumpet, flugelhorn and Anthony Wilson - guitar
• New York Band (tracks 7 & 8):
  • Jon Faddis, Frank Greene, Sean Jones, Jimmy Owens, Terrell Stafford - trumpet
  • Dennis Wilson, Luis Bonilla, Jay Ashby, Douglas Purviance - trombone
  • Steve Wilson, Antonio Hart, Ron Blake, Kamasi Washington, Ronnie Cuber - reeds
  • Renee Rosnes - piano
  • Peter Washington - bass
  • Anthony Wilson - guitar
  • Lewis Nash - drums
  • Special guest: Hubert Laws - flute

References

1. Mack Avenue catalog, accessed August 26, 2016
2. Nastos, Michael G.. Detroit – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
3. Robbins, R. J. All About Jazz Review, November 28, 2009
4. Cordle, O. JazzTimes review November 2009