Saxman says: Blues & swing the soul of jazz

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Steve Wilson visits BGSU
starting today (Photo courtesy of stevewilsonmusic.com)

Saxophonist Steve Wilson has been central to hundreds of jazz dates, both his own and as part of bands
led by luminaries Christian McBride, Chick Corea, Dave Holland and Maria Schneider.
And he knows what’s central to the music he loves – swing and blues.
He’s concerned that young musician aren’t as informed about the importance of those essential qualities.
"That’s a big concern," he said Tuesday in a telephone interview. "That’s the legacy of
our music."
The importance of these fundamentals of jazz is part of what Wilson will discuss during a residency at
Bowling Green State University. He will teach and perform twice – tonight at 8 in Bryan Recital Hall
with the jazz faculty and Friday at 8 p.m. in Kobacker Hall with the Jazz Lab Band I.
His visit was arranged through David Bixler, of the BGSU faculty. About 20 years ago they played together
in Lionel Hampton’s big band.
Since then Wilson, 51, has established himself as a fixture on the jazz scene playing alto and soprano
saxophones. He’s not only an active freelancer, but also as an educator at the Juilliard School,
Manhattan School of Music, and SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music.
As an educator he teaches the importance of the music’s tradition and history. Jazz, he said, "is
certainly more complex in the sense of trying to expand with complex harmony and complex rhythm."
That reflects the music’s ability to cross fertilize with other styles and genres.
"Jazz has always been an inclusive music," Wilson said. "That’s what keeps it alive."

Still young musicians have to stay rooted in the fundamentals, the feeling for the blues and rhythmic
propulsion. "If we leave that foundation behind, it won’t be the same thing."
Wilson’s own style grew from deep roots. He credited his father’s small but diverse record collection
with pointing the way for him. His father, an amateur singer who belonged to a spirituals group, had all
manner of music including Motown and jazz in his collection.
"I try to bring all those musical experiences to my writing," Wilson said. "I try not to
have my music fit into one bag."
Wilson also went to jazz festivals and concerts. Seeing saxophonists Eddie Harris and Julian
"Cannonball" Adderley live turned Wilson from an aspiring drummer into a saxophonist.
He started studying the horn when he was 12, and by the time he was in high school he was playing school
dances with his peers as well as in rhythm ‘n blues cover bands and big bands with his elders.
At school he played oboe in concert band and drums with the marching band. Though he doesn’t consider
himself a drummer, he tells his students "that in this music we have to be drummers first… What
defines our music is rhythm."
That experience was enough for him to decide he wanted to be a musician. The Hampton, Va., native
attended Virginia Commonwealth University, and after graduating started doing studio work and going on
tour with the Four Tops and the show "Sophisticated Ladies." In 1987 he was tapped to join Out
of the Blue, a band put together by the Blue Note label and inspired by the still fresh Young Lions
movement.
From there his career blossomed both as a leader and as a sideman for a who’s who of the New York jazz
scene.
What he’s learned from working with Corea, Holland and the others is to strive for excellence every
night.
"They’re treating every night as an adventure," Wilson said. "They’re playing as if it is
the first time and the last time."
What they want from him as a sideman is not only to do justice to their music but also "to bring my
total experiences as a musician and as a person" to the mix.
Wilson shares lessons gleaned from that time with students.
He advises them to take "a total approach to being a musician." Wilson said they need to
appreciate the variety of music and develop "the skill to perform in so many situations."
He’s played in intimate jazz duos with just a piano, or with an orchestra at the Vermont Mozart Festival.

Beyond the art, they also have to develop business skills. "We’re independent contractors," he
said.
The world they enter is quite different from the scene Wilson found. The traveling bands are fewer and
more select, and fewer venues feature live music.
While an earlier generation of musicians in New York earned money playing in studios, now Wilson and his
peers supplement their playing gigs with teaching assignments.
Still "this generation is growing up with technology," he said. "They can use that to
their benefit, to create different opportunities not just locally, but globally."

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