Gerald Wilson is a well-kept Los Angeles secret, a charismatic, creative, and skillful bandleader who hasn’t been recognized outside of the West Coast. His arrangements are distinctive and often complicated, with complex voicings and harmony, which are rooted in swing, bop, but always forward-looking, and energetic in tone. He enjoys playing with structures which adds to the restlessness in his music. Being a bullfight fan, he was among the first to use Spanish influences. His bands have been able to attract the best musicians, with their impeccable precision and brilliance for the exuberantly gesticulating maestro. Wilson moved from Memphis to Detroit in 1932 with his family. He studied music high school and then joined the Plantation Music Orchestra. After that, he had the most memorable experience of his entire life working with the Jimmie Lunceford Band from 1939 to 422. Sy Oliver was replaced by Wilson, who became the arranger, conductor and trumpet soloist in the Lunceford Band. Wilson then headed for Los Angeles to join the bands of Benny Carter and Les Hite. Wilson formed his first major band in 1944. It featured a unique blend of swing and jazz and had musicians such as Melba Liston, Snooky Young and others. It lasted only three years. Wilson left the music industry to pursue a career in grocery trading after playing in big bands for Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie in 1947 and 1948. He made a brief return to jazz in 1952 as a bandleader, but it was not until 1952 that he began to get back into the swing of things. In fact, he did a few TV appearances as an actor. After four years of experimentation with a workshop group, Wilson founded a new orchestra that made several albums for Pacific Jazz in the 1960s. It featured soloists such as Bud Shank and Jack Wilson. He wrote “Viva Tirado”, a song for the Moment of Truth album. It was later re-recorded on Live and Swinging and became a surprise hit for El Chicano’s Latin rock band in 1970. He was a composer and arranger for TV and film programs. In 1970, he started a series that was entertaining and informative about jazz history at California State University Northridge (then San Fernando Valley State College). They moved to UCLA in 1992. He also had his own radio show on KBCA-FM in Los Angeles from 1969 to 1976. State Street SweetWilson was a leader in big bands throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and served as an elder statesman of the Los Angeles jazz scene. He released State Street Sweet in 1995 to mark more than 50 years of leadership. It was a powerful tribute to his work and a hit at the Playboy Jazz Festival. Wilson’s entire life’s work was preserved by the Library of Congress in 1996. In 1997, he also completed Theme for Monterey which was commissioned by Monterey Jazz Festival. He recorded New York, New Sound in 2003 for Mack Avenue Records. This album received a Grammy nomination under the Best Large Jazz Ensemble category. In My Time, Monterey Moods and Detroit were the next three Mack Avenue albums. Wilson’s fifth Mack Avenue album, Legacy (a classical-themed album), was released in 2011. Allmusic
