Jack Wilson – Easterly Winds (Blue Note Tone Poet series)

Description

The Chicago-born pianist and composer Jack Wilson enjoyed a wide-range of musical associations including work with the likes of Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Lou Rawls, Gerald Wilson, Roy Ayers, and recording leader dates for Atlantic before he made his Blue Note debut in 1966 with the highly unique Something Personal. Easterly Windsthe second of Wilsons three Blue Note albums and arguably his finestfound the pianist at the helm of a first-rate hard bop sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums.

The six-song set presented four Wilson originals including the groovy opener Do It” and the sublime ballad Nirvanna in addition to a tender rendition of the Johnny Mandel tune A Time for Love and Franks Tune by Frank Strozier, which was recently reimagined by Makaya McCraven on his 2021 Blue Note remix project Deciphering the Message. – Blue Note