My radio show In The Moment is now on Thursday nights at 9PM and tonight 1/15 9PM PST 91.1 FM and kcsm.org/: Drummer Matt Wilson and his group Arts & Crafts, performing at Yoshis in Oakland on April 17th, 2007. Ive set the wayback machine for nearly 8 years ago, for a repeat broadcast of one of my favorite performances captured at Yoshis in Oakland. Tonight well present the opening set, and in no way will it do justice to the variety of the spontaneous musical celebration that is behind the Arts & Crafts quartet. Wilson is a creative, spiritual and sometimes humorous musical force. It is about the pacing and the repertoire, the players, the leadership and some serious fun. Eclectic, exploratory, unconventional, but in the tradition…with the Arts and Crafts quartet any given night, youll hear anything and everything and as one reviewer says, including the kitchen sink. After Matt moved to New York and quickly established himself as a very versatile drummer, he began working with Cecil McBee, Lee Konitz, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Andrew Hill, Benny Golson Denny Zeitlin, Mark Dresser, Myra Melford and countless others. He was the late Dewey Redmans drummer of choice for twelve years and is also an educator of note. Just this past Tuesday, he performed at the tribute to Charlie Haden, at The Town Hall in NYC. Arts & Crafts in 2007 was touring to promote their third release on Palmetto Records, The Scenic Route. The group consisted of Gary Versace, playing organ, piano, and accordion, Terrell Stafford, on trumpet and the late and irreplaceable Dennis Irwin, sorely missed on bass and clarinet. Id like to dedicate this broadcast to Dennis, who passed away in March of 2008, from liver cancer. Matt chose Dennis for this group early on, saying that his sound and feel was a drummers dream. This was evident in his highly regarded performances with Art Blakey and Mel Lewis. His swing was deep and dependable, and he played on more than 500 albums. Beginning in the early 80s he had performed almost every Monday night with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra at the Village Vanguard. In his last decade of performing, he played in bands led by Johnny Griffin, Joe Lovano, and John Scofield, in addition to Arts & Crafts with Matt Wilson. His illness and benefits held for his medical expenses, called attention to the plight of uninsured musicians. In line with his stated wishes, money raised from the benefits for him, went to other musicians in need, through the Jazz Foundation of America, which helped many uninsured musicians — including Mr. Irwin — pay for healthcare.. Rest in peace Dennis. We celebrate your great artistry tonight, on KCSMs In The Moment with Matt Wilsons Arts and Crafts mattwilsonjazz yoshis
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 16:14:42 +0000