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Gerald Wilson, the trumpeter, bandleader and arranger whose career spanned from 1930s swing to the jazz of today, died at home in Los Angeles Monday at age 96. He had come down with pneumonia two weeks ago, his son, jazz guitarist Anthony Wilson, told Don Heckman for the LA Times. Wilson formed his first big band in Los Angeles in 1944, and taught classes in jazz at Cal State Northridge, Cal State L.A. and UCLA. [I took one of those classes. Got an A, but I suspect most of us did.-ed.] He also had a radio show on KBCA-FM (105.1) from 1969 to 1976.
From Heckman's obituary:
In a lifetime that spanned a substantial portion of the history of jazz, Wilson's combination of articulate composition skills with a far-reaching creative vision carried him successfully through each of the music's successive new evolutions.He led his own Gerald Wilson Orchestras — initially for a few years in the mid-1940s, then intermittently in every succeeding decade — recording with stellar assemblages of players, continuing to perform live, well after big jazz bands had been largely eclipsed by small jazz groups and the ascendancy of rock music.
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Wilson's mastery of the rich potential in big jazz band instrumentation was evident from the beginning. Although he was not pleased with his first arrangement — a version of the standard "Sometimes I'm Happy" written in 1939, when he was playing trumpet in the Jimmie Lunceford band — he was encouraged by Lunceford and his fellow players to write more. "Hi Spook," his first original composition for big band, followed and was quickly added to the Lunceford repertoire. Soon after, Wilson wrote a brightly swinging number titled "Yard Dog Mazurka" — a popular piece that eventually became the inspiration for the Stan Kenton hit "Intermission Riff." It was the beginning of an imaginative flow of music that would continue well into the 21st century.
Always an adventurous composer, Wilson's big band music often had a personal touch, aimed at displaying the talents of a specific player, or inspired by many of his family members. After marrying his Mexican American wife, Josefina Villasenor Wilson, he was drawn to music possessing Spanish/Mexican qualities. His "Viva Tirado," dedicated to bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado, became a hit for the Latin rock group El Chicano and was one of several compositions celebrating the achievements of stars of the bullring.
From the intro to an interview with Terry Gross on "Fresh Air" in 2006: "Trumpeter, composer, and arranger Gerald Wilson...grew up in Mississippi, and got his start playing with Jimmy Lunceford's band in New York City. He later worked with Benny Carter's band and formed his own. As a composer-arranger, he worked for the Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie bands. And he accompanied Billie Holiday on her tour of the South in 1949. He's arranged music for Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Bobby Darin, and Carmen McRae. His most recent CD was released last year, 'In My Time.'"
Tony Valdez of Fox 11 tweets:
Jazz giant Gerald Wilson died today at 96. Condolences. Story of “Viva Tirado” here http://t.co/f70xz0kdL6 pic.twitter.com/w164VP793o
— Tony Valdez (@TonyValdezNews) September 9, 2014