BRATTLEBORO — The Vermont Jazz Center's fifth Emerging Artist Festival begins with youth jazz ensembles performing at 118 Elliot on Friday, Nov. 4, continues on Saturday, Nov. 5 with student groups performing, and culminates on Saturday, Nov. 5 with a clinic and a concert by Grammy-nominated guitarist Dan Wilson.
The festival celebrates the contributions of up-and-coming musicians who have not yet acquired the name recognition of older artists but who strongly deserve to be heard - like Wilson, a talent whose career is skyrocketing, as demonstrated by his appearance as a headliner at both the Newport and Montreal Jazz Festivals.
Called “one of the brightest new talents on the instrument today” by Pat Metheny, Wilson's soulful music is equally informed by jazz, gospel, and the music of Stevie Wonder. The youthful guitarist brings a fresh sound to jazz, replete with bluesy and sophisticated pop and gospel overtones.
His sound clearly communicates how jazz is an inclusive music that thrives on adapting the most recent trends that are often conceived by Black artists.
Wilson will be performing with his longstanding quartet, which includes pianist Glenn Zaleski, Paul Thompson on bass, and Dave Throckmorton on drums.
The public is invited to events on both days of the festival, which is designed to give musicians of all ages the opportunity to learn from young masters. Student musicians from area high schools, colleges, and universities get to perform, learn, and be inspired by one another, and they get to glean from the headliner's wisdom and support.
Student showcases will occur on Friday night in collaboration with Brattleboro's Gallery Walk at 118 Elliot, and during the day on Saturday, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Jazz Center.
Admission to the Dan Wilson Quartet Saturday in-person concert - both in-person and livestreamed on VJC's Facebook page and website - is offered on a sliding scale, $20 to $50 per person.
Other events and workshops are free; donations to the VJC Scholarship Fund are welcome.
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Dan Wilson's musical path began in the church community of his hometown of Akron, Ohio. His influences include Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, and George Benson, but his musical identity has been shaped by everything from gospel and blues to traditional jazz, hip-hop, and horn players like Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
In an interview on the Yes Jazz Matters podcast, Wilson stated, “I've always been of the opinion that Black music exists in a continuum, especially in the African American tradition: blues, spirituals, gospel, jazz, hip-hop - they all have the same root. So, to transition from one to another is, a lot of the time, seamless.”
He points out that R&B, soul, and especially the music of Stevie Wonder all have been particularly influential in his development. This past summer, Wilson put together a review of Wonder's music featuring his organ trio with three vocalists.
In that podcast interview, Wilson commented that his parents “had an extensive record collection. So when I was younger I would go through their records. And when I landed on Stevie Wonder, I heard all the stuff I loved about jazz, like “Summer Soft” from Songs in the Key of Life , which goes through all these complex harmonic changes.”
“That's what I mean about the music existing in a continuum,” he continued. “I put Stevie Wonder up there as a composer [not as an orchestrator] with Duke Ellington.” He called the strength of Wonder's songs “timeless.”
After graduating with a music degree from Hiram College, Wilson went on to tour the world for three years with Joey DeFrancesco's organ trio. His appearance on DeFrancesco's 2017 Project Freedom album earned him a Grammy nomination.
Wilson then spent four years with Christian McBride's Tip City, a trio project utilizing the instrumentation of the Oscar Peterson Trio (piano, bass, and guitar) which also featured pianist Emmet Cohen.
McBride was so enthralled with his young protégé that he served as producer of Wilson's third album, Vessels of Wood and Earth, which he then released on his personal label.
Wilson has shared the stage with jazz greats, including Lewis Nash, Eric Marienthal, Russell Malone, Les McCann, René Marie, Jeff Hamilton, David Sanborn, and Dave Stryker. He can also be heard on recordings and videos with Van Morrison. His current projects include an upcoming tour with NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington.
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Wilson's humility is reflected in his persona, his interviews, and in the content of his music. When asked about the title of his latest release, Wilson says that it comes from a verse from the Bible that says, “in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earth.”
“I took that to mean that a lot of times we see the shiny exterior things and we place such a high value on those, but those are not the things that are holding up the house,” Wilson says. “It's the things that you can't see.”
Wilson went on to discuss how he appreciates the behind-the-scenes musicians who so conscientiously contribute to the sound of his group, and how the engine of his music is the rhythm section.
“I love James Brown. I love how funky he was,” Wilson said. “But it was the guys in his band like Fred Thomas, Bootsy Collins, Jabbo, and Clyde Stubblefield who had to hold the groove for 20 minutes while James was talking. They should be celebrated just as much.”
This humility is reflected in Wilson's music, which is all about collaboration, group sound, and respect for the big picture.
Wilson is a logical choice for the Emerging Artist Festival: he is a player with chops and credentials, but he also an experienced clinician who relates well to young audiences.
His educational experience blends into technologies that are accessible to youth. He has designed an online curriculum where students can follow up on the materials learned at his Saturday clinic, delving into his approach on the blues, accompaniment and improvisation.
All ages are encouraged to attend the VJC's Emerging Artist Festival, to revel in the strength of the music, and its capacity to engage young listeners and performers. This weekend would not be possible without the assistance of VJC's board of directors and numerous volunteers who give unstintingly of their time and energy.