When the acclaimed bandleader, songwriter and jazz saxophonist, Steve Wilson opens the season at the Kennedy Center Jazz Club, he will bring along a trio of performers. This characteristic arrangement will present the original band arrangements from the seminal 1950 recording of the “Charlie Parker with Strings” album.
A compilation album, released in 1995 by Verve Records, originated from two recordings put out in 1950 by the late saxophonist — one of the most influential improvising soloists in jazz. Instead of using his standard quintet, Parker’s recording sessions featured a classical string section and a jazz rhythm section.
| Onstage |
| KC Jazz Club: Steve Wilson |
| Where: Terrace Gallery, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday |
| Info: $26 to $30; 800-444-1324, 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org |
“This [album] was one of the first successful collaborations of a jazz soloist with strings,” Wilson said. “It brought Charlie Parker, who was considered the innovator of bebop, into a large public forum and actually made him a star.”
In fact those two releases became Parker’s most popular sellers during his lifetime, and were admitted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1988.
In addition to playing songs from the 1995 “Strings” album, Wilson notes that the band will perform tunes that were written for Parker but never recorded because of his untimely death. Mercer Ellington and George Russell wrote the songs “Moon Mist” and “Ezz-thetic,” respectively, which were only recently discovered and made available to the public.
“What we’ll be doing differently with these pieces that were not on Charlie Parker’s recordings is improvising in the string section. We will open up the string ensemble to get their turn at improvisation, as well as myself and the rhythm section,” Wilson explained. “The rest of the music will come from the Great American Songbook and will include ‘Easy to Love’ and ‘April in Paris.’ ”
Performing with Wilson on his alto and soprano saxophones are Bruce Barth at the piano, Michael Bowie on bass and Lewis Nash at the drums. The string section will be anchored by Diane Monroe on the violin, with other violinists, Cleveland Chandler and Naira Underwood. Dawn Smith will perform on the viola with Troy Stuart playing cello. Many of these musicians are based in D.C.
Of the combined sound, Wilson noted, “This is a beautiful balance of a lush background of strings and the finest jazz improvisation.”
