Anthony Wilson

Anthony Wilson, a jazz guitarist whose stylistic reach spans multiple traditions, has earned recognition both for his varied solo projects and his contributions alongside performers such as Diana Krall, Chris Botti, Michael Bublé, and additional artists. The offspring of the respected trumpeter and bandleader Gerald Wilson, he first surfaced in the late 1990s through appearances with his father’s large ensemble while simultaneously releasing nonet recordings, among them the 1997 Grammy-nominated Anthony Wilson, and soul-inflected trio sessions such as 2001’s Our Gang. Even as he sustained a financially rewarding sideman career, Wilson persisted in expanding his artistic scope, advancing his expansive group on the 2006 album Power of Nine and unveiling his folk-tinged singer-songwriter material on 2016’s Frogtown.

Born in Los Angeles in 1968, Wilson absorbed performances by his father’s orchestra throughout childhood, yet it was an affinity for Bob Dylan that prompted him to take up the guitar near the age of eight. In addition to Dylan, he devoted considerable time during his early years to mastering guitar lines by rock players Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. By adolescence he had immersed himself in a broad spectrum of jazz, soul, pop, and R&B, frequently exploring the work of Wes Montgomery, T-Bone Walker, Duke Ellington, Ry Cooder, Charles Mingus, and further figures. He began performing publicly, appearing at Southern California venues alongside established Los Angeles musicians that included drummer Billy Higgins, tenor saxophonist Harold Land, and trumpeter Oscar Brashear. He also participated in his father’s orchestra, acquiring essential instruction in composition and arrangement. Following secondary school he refined his technique at Bennington College in Vermont, completing a degree in music composition while studying under trumpeter Bill Dixon and drummer Milford Graves, two recognized avant-garde practitioners.

Launching his independent career, Wilson achieved early distinction by receiving the Thelonious Monk Institute International Composers’ Award in 1995. Two years afterward he introduced his debut recording, the nine-piece “little big band” project Anthony Wilson, which garnered a nomination for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Recording at the Grammy Awards. Two subsequent nonet albums appeared: Goat Hill Junket in 1998 and Adult Themes in 1999. Throughout this same interval he became sought after for session and touring work, securing initial credits with Lenny Kravitz, Lisa Loeb, and Vanessa Paradis. Across ensuing years he has collaborated with Chris Botti, Al Jarreau, Norah Jones, Barbra Streisand, Herb Alpert, and Till Bronner, among numerous others.

Returning to his own catalog, Wilson issued three well-received trio albums—2001’s Our Gang, 2005’s Savivity, and 2009’s Jack of Hearts—each centered on Hammond organ-driven soul-jazz explorations. He also established a productive association with singer and pianist Diana Krall, contributing to 2002’s Live in Paris, 2004’s The Girl in the Other Room, and 2009’s Quiet Nights. Krall in turn appeared as a guest on Wilson’s 2006 nonet recording Power of Nine. He next joined Brazilian guitarist Chico Pinheiro for 2008’s Nova. Brazilian idioms likewise shaped 2011’s Campo Belo, a reflective session recorded in São Paulo with clarinetist Joana Queiroz. That same year he released the live album Seasons: Live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presenting his extended four-guitar song cycle with Pinheiro, Steve Cardenas, and Julian Lage.

Wilson issued the Mike Elizondo-produced Frogtown in 2016, a multifaceted collection of original folk- and jazz-inflected pieces that also constituted his first vocal recording. Drummers Jim Keltner and Matt Chamberlain, violinist Petra Haden, and keyboardists Patrick Warren and Josh Nelson participated on the project. The following year he was named a MacDowell Colony fellow. The evocative Songs and Photographs appeared in 2019, drawing impetus from Wilson’s engagement with photography. Pianist Gerald Clayton, percussionist Jay Bellerose, keyboardist Patrick Warren, and bassist Joshua Crumbly joined him for the sessions.