Anthony Wilson showed a fair amount of promise on his self-titled debut album of 1997, and he lives up to that promise on 1998's
Goat Hill Junket, and on his third album
Adult Themes. This CD is noteworthy not only because of
Wilson's
Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar playing, but also because of his arranging and composing. On
Adult Themes,
Wilson leads what
Phil Woods might call a "little big band." No less than five horn players are employed (including trumpeter/flügelhornist
Carl Saunders, trombonist
Ira Nepus, alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton, tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz), and the hard-swinging rhythm section includes, among others, pianist
Donald Vega, bassist Danton Boller, and drummer Mark Ferber.
Wilson does much of the writing himself, but he also provides inventive arrangements of
the Beatles' "Because,"
Donald Fagen's "Maxine," and the traditional Irish ballad "Danny Boy." None of these songs have been done to death by jazz musicians, and
Wilson deserves credit for successfully bringing them into a jazz environment.
Adult Themes isn't innovative, but this enjoyable date is certainly neither generic nor predictable. ~ Alex Henderson