Alex Wilson

Wilson came into the world on 21 November 1971 in Belper, Derbyshire, England, to Anglo-Sierra Leonian parents. An upbringing across several nations followed, encompassing Sierra Leone, Austria, Switzerland and the UK. Guitar became his first instrument, yet he turned to piano at age 17. After studies at the University of York and the University of California, he settled in London in 1993, where the local salsa and jazz communities soon absorbed his attention. Demand for his keyboard work grew quickly among Roberto Pla, David Jean-Baptiste, Cameron Pierre, Snowboy, Merengada, Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and Sandra Cross, while further sessions linked him to Jazz Jamaica, Toumani Diabaté and Jesús Alemañy of Cubanismo.

July 1998 saw him launch his own ensemble, fusing salsa, jazz and West African elements. That same year brought the debut release Afro Saxon, a collection of originals alongside Latinised jazz standards that featured US saxophonist Bobby Watson and Roberto Pla. Travel to Cuba with his London musicians yielded the follow-up Anglo Cubano; there, vocalists and players such as Los Van Van’s Mario ‘Mayito’ Rivera and the ensemble Clave Y Guaguanco contributed to sessions whose Cuban authenticity heightened the stylistic blend.

Summer 2000 brought membership in Courtney Pine’s group, resulting in Japanese tours and recordings. The BBC Jazz Awards named him Newcomer in 2001, after which the Zone 7 project R&B Latino explored funky R&B territory in 2002. Wilson next founded the Alex Wilson label and began documenting his Power Latin band. Among subsequent releases stand the Afro-Colombian Aventuras from 2005 and the modern salsa set Inglaterra from 2007, the latter containing the bhangra-inflected track ‘Oh Kuri’.