GERALD WILSON

'Gerald Stanley Wilson' is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s. ^[1]
Wilson was born in Mississippi in 1918. He graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit. Wilson joined the Jimmie Lunceford orchestra in 1939, replacing its star trumpeter and arranger Sy Oliver. While with Lunceford, he contributed numbers to the band's book, including "Hi Spook" and "Yard-dog Mazurka," the latter strikingly similar to a tune later recorded by the Stan Kenton band, "Intermission Riff."
During World War II, Gerald also performed for a brief time with the US Navy, with musicians such as Clark Terry, Willie Smith and Jimmy Nottingham, among others. Recently (~2005), many of the members of the band reunited as "The Great Lakes Experience Big Band," with Wilson conducting and Ernie Andrews making a guest appearance at the invitation of Clark Terry.
Wilson formed his own band, with some success, in the mid-1940s. He also played and arranged for Count Basie and later for Duke Ellington.
In 1960, Wilson formed a Los Angeles-based band that began a series of superb recordings for the Pacific Jazz label. Musicians in the band at various times included trumpeter Carmell Jones, tenor saxophonists Harold Land and Teddy Edwards, guitarist Joe Pass, vibist Roy Ayers, and drummers Mel Lewis and Mel Lee. A number of Wilson's compositions showed his love of Spanish/Mexican themes, especially "Viva Tirado," which later became a hit for the rock band El Chicano. His wife of over fifty years, Jo Villasenor Wilson, is Mexican-American.
Wilson has continued leading bands and recording in the ensuing decades. Recent musicians have included his then son-in-law Shuggie Otis and his son Anthony Wilson, both guitarists; Gerald's grandson, Eric Otis, has also played on such recordings. Wilson has continued to record Spanish-flavored compositions, notably the bravura trumpet solos "Carlos" (named for Mexican matador Carlos Arruza, and recorded three times over the years, featuring trumpeters Jimmy Owens, Oscar Brashear, and Ron Barrows) and "Lomelin" (also named for a matador—Antonio Lomelin—and recorded twice, with solos by Oscar Brashear and Jon Faddis). In 1998, Wilson received a commission from the Monterey Jazz Festival for an original composition, resulting in "Theme for Monterey," which was performed at that year's festival. Wilson also makes special appearances as guest conductor, including with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band (now the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York) and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble.
In addition to leading his band and writing arrangements for others (including Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles,Julie London, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Nancy Wilson), Wilson has been a member of the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles, for many years, recently winning (late in his ninth decade!) a "teacher of the year" award.
He currently teaches Jazz History classes with fellow Jazz player, Kenny Burrell at UCLA.
In June 2007, Wilson returned to the studio with producer Al Pryor and all-star big band to record a special album of compositions originally commissioned and premiered at the Monterey Jazz Festival for the festival's 50th anniversary. Wilson had helped lead celebrations of the Monterey Jazz Festival's 20th and 40th anniversary with specially commissioned works. The album will be released on Mack Avenue Records in September 2007.