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Dave Wilson


Band: The Dave Wilson All-Star Jazz Quartet

Members: Saturday's performance will feature Phil Markowitz on piano, Tony Marino on bass, Butch Reed on drums and Dave Wilson on tenor and soprano saxophones

Who we talked to: Wilson

How did the Yorkfest show come about? This is our second year doing it. I have a long history of working with the City of York. I played seven or eight First Night York (events). I played at the street fair many times (and for the) Cherry Lane concert series. Last year, they asked me to do the community jazz concert and I just had my third CD released. We had a great concert last year at Yorkfest with Adam Nussbaum and Tony Marino and Jim Ridl. This year, I was able to get Phil Markowitz on piano and Tony Marino on bass respectively. I have a great drummer coming out of Philly - Butch Reed. (I'm) really looking forward to it. It's going to feature a lot of tunes from the new album.

Did you get a good reception last year? We got a lot of good feedback. I know a lot of people in York. I live in Lancaster, but I've been teaching in York for years (and) playing gigs in different clubs in York . . . as big band and Dixieland. Right now, I teach one day up at Pick Music in (Manchester Township). I give private instruction on woodwinds - saxophone, clarinet and flute. The way the jazz scene is, there isn't a lot of club work . . . right now. I've got deep roots in York (so) we expect a good turnout this year.

So you are also in a Dixieland band? Dixieland music (or) New Orleans traditional jazz music . . . has been a big part of my professional music career. I'm in a group . . . that's called (Dave Wilson's) Rampart Street Ramblers. That group is kind of like an all-star New Orleans-type of group from the Philadelphia area and Central Pennsylvania. We're all from different (traditional jazz) groups and we come together. It gives me a chance . . . to bring all my toys out on stage. In addition to all the saxophones, I play clarinet. I also play the C melody saxophone - that's kind of an antique saxophone from the 1920s and '30s. The Dixieland music just . . . swings. I love to play that.

Are some of the musicians performing Saturday featured on your new CD? It's called "Spiral." It's on Summit Records. On my third effort, I used some nationally-based artists: Adam Nussbaum on drums and Phil Markowitz on piano . . . and Tony Marino on the bass. Tony's with The Dave Liebman Group. Phil Markowitz (played) with Chet Baker and Toots Thielemans and . . . Bob Mintzer. Adam Nussbaum is probably the most well-known jazz musician of the group. His musical resume includes work with Stan Getz, Gil Evans (and) James Moody. It was my third CD, so I really wanted to make it special. I kind of went for the jugular and got these guys.

Was it hard to schedule recording time since all the musicians are busy with tours and gigs? Everybody got the music in advance. The keyboard artist Phil Markowitz has a summer place up in the Poconos, so I met with him and the bass player, like, a month before the recording. The recording was spread out over two days. These guys are such consummate pros with so much experience (and who are) at the top of their fields in the (jazz) world, I feel. We just made it happen. The way the jazz vocabulary works is that you like to get the music in advance, but you also like to keep it spontaneous. Everything was really done live (in) mainly, like, two takes. These guys, they really helped (to) make it happen. They bought into the concept of my album (which features) six originals and three covers of some (pop songs) and a couple non-original tunes we covered. They had some great ideas.

Are there other area artists you listen to or collaborate with? Of course, I can't get . . . the guys on the record . . . on (every gig). I've been playing with . . . my friends in this area . . . for the last 20 to 25 years. Some of the guys I really like playing with (include) Matt Hochmiller on piano and Kirk Reese on piano. They're both York (County) residents. I just did a gig with Chris Loser, who lives in York and Jeff Stabley, who lives in York. The way jazz is, you don't have a regular group. Everybody is freelancing. It's not just about my stuff. It's about the whole jazz library.

- ERIN McCRACKEN, FLIPSIDE STAFF

If you go

The Dave Wilson All-Star Jazz Quartet will perform a free show during the Yorkfest Fine Arts Festival.

The Mike Burton Quartet opens the show at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Capitol Theatre, 50 N. George St. in York. The Dave Wilson All-Star Jazz Quartet will perform from 7 to 9 p.m.

For details, visit the events section of www.yorkcity.org.

On the Web

For details about the band, visit www.davewilsonmusic.org.

Listen to the interview at www.flipsidepa.com.

Read more meet-the-artist interviews at www.flipsidepa.com/musicdirectory.