Things Eternal (Brother Mister)
Dan Wilson
Released May 19, 2023
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kneflRa1SaQMTJGJwY2eTjRo_hrsSfnYY
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About:
Growing up in Akron, Ohio, Dan Wilson spent the majority of his youth within the church community, where his musical path began.
Traces of his major guitar influences – including Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, and George Benson to name a few – can be discerned through his playing, 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.
Wilson’s career took him on an exploratory journey into foundations laid down by the guitar/organ tradition, eventually leading to an invitation to perform with jazz great Joey DeFrancesco’s trio quartet, with which Wilson went on to earn a GRAMMY® Award nomination with for DeFrancesco’s Project Freedom album (Mack Avenue Records, 2017)
This collaboration allowed the guitarist to insert his own dialect into the musical prowess and respect that DeFrancesco had earned throughout his journey.Wilson had been playing with DeFrancesco for a few years when he met bassist, composer, arranger, Christian McBride. From there, Wilson went on to tour with McBride’s trio Tip City, eventually leading McBride to serve as producer on “Vessels of Wood and Earth” and release the album on his newly formed imprint Brother Mister Productions through Mack Avenue Music Group.
The first song on guitarist/composer Dan Wilson’s Things Eternal opens with a recorded voicemail from the late organist, personal mentor and dear friend Joey DeFrancesco, serving as a tribute, guiding light and mission statement. Throughout a curated selection of 12 songs, Wilson gathers hope and inspiration from ancestral wisdom, dedicated to the enduring quality of the human spirit. From unique takes on classics from The Beatles, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Michael Brecker, Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner to original compositions, Wilson has crafted an impeccable statement for the world to take notice.
Track Listing:
1. Sticology (Phillip K. Jones II) 06:21
2. Since a Hatchet Was a Hammer (Dan Wilson) 05:03
3. Eleanor Rigby (John Lennon / Paul McCartney) 05:58
4. For Tomorrow Bass Intro (McCoy Tyner) 01:44
5. For Tomorrow (McCoy Tyner) 09:33
6. Things Eternal (Dan Wilson) 05:06
7. Bird Like (Freddie Hubbard) 05:16
8. Smile Please (Stevie Wonder) 05:14
9. Tell Me a Bedtime Story (Herbie Hancock) 07:25
10. Pilgrimage Intro (Michael Brecker) 02:17
11. Pilgrimage (Michael Brecker) 06:30
12. Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot (Sting) 06:00
Personnel:
Dan Wilson: guitar
Glenn Zaleski: Fender Rhodes
Brandon Rose: bass
David Throckmorton: drums
with
Theron Brown: organ (11, 12)
Nigel Hall: vocals (12)
Durrell LeGrair: vocals (8, 12)
Tommy Lehman: vocals (8, 12)
Jessica Yafanaro: vocals (6, 8, 12)
Recorded September 26 – 29, 2022, at Akron Recording Company, by Ryan Hilty, assited by Benjamin Patrick
Mixed and Masteres by Martin Walters
Produced by Dan Wilson and Christian McBride
Executive Prodicers: Grecthen Valade and Denny Stilwell
Art Direction: Raj Naik
Photography: Shane Wynn
Review:
A guitarist with jaw-dropping single-note facility rivaling six-string greats George Benson and Pat Martino, Akron, Ohio, native Dan Wilson’s tendency is to scorch the fretboard — as he did on “The Rhythm Section” from his stellar 2021 Mack Avenue debut, Vessels Of Wood And Earth, and does again here on a blazing rendition of Freddie Hubbard’s “Birdlike” from his followup album, Things Eternal. Both examples conjure up memories of Benson’s “The Cooker,” the opening track to 1967’s The George Benson Cookbook. But Wilson is hardly a one-trick-pony, as he once again reveals on his eclectic sophomore outing. His gift for melody comes across on renditions of Stevie Wonder’s “Smile Please” and Michael Brecker’s “Pilgrimage,” while his subdued comping behind vocalist Jessica Yafanaro on the alluring title track is patient and luxurious. Wilson’s ability to swing easily and in the pocket is apparent on renditions of McCoy Tyner’s waltztime “For Tomorrow,” Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me A Bedtime Story” and the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” while his deep-seated gospel roots come to the fore on an inspired, churchified reading of Sting’s “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot.” A secret weapon throughout this session is the Fender Rhodes electric piano playing of Glenn Zaleski, who lends a ’70s quality to the proceedings while matching Wilson stride-forstride on some blazing unisons. Co-produced by Christian McBride, whose Tip City trio Wilson joined in 2017, Things Eternal includes a humorous voicemail at the outset of the opening track, “Sticology,” from the late organist Joey DeFrancesco, with whom Wilson also toured and recorded.
Bill Milkowski (DownBeat)
