Joe Wilder, Keith Winking, & Ray Crisara

Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas honored Joe Wilder as the guest artist at the Eddie Durham Jazz Celebration.  Wilder has played in the orchestras of artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Jimmie Lunceford.  In 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts named Wilder a Jazz Master, the highest honor it bestows upon jazz musicians.   In addition to his jazz chops, Wilder played in the ABC orchestra and brass quintet, in various Broadway shows, and in other settings, as well.  He was one of the first African Americans to serve in the US Marines during WWII.

After opening statements by Dr. Gene Bourgeois, the Texas State University Jazz Orchestra performed a medley of John’s Idea 1 and 2, Lunceford Special, and Moten Swing. The Texas State University Jazz Orchestra is conducted by Dr. Keith Winking, who also organized and coordinated the Eddie Durham Celebration.

Wilder entered the stage on the second half of the program, introduced by his ABC colleague Raymond Crisara.  The two regaled the audience with tales from their time together and their favorite trumpet stories.  Crisara concluded the speaking portion by saying, “I defy you to listen to Joe Wilder and not smile.”

Wilder performed four numbers with Dr. Utah Hamrick on bass, Ernie Durwawa on drums, and Morris Nelms on piano.  The combo performed Far Away Places, How Are Things in Glocca Morra, Samba de Orfeo, and Take the A Train.

Jazz scholar Dan Morgenstern, director of Rutgers University’s Institute of Jazz Studies, fellow NEA Jazz Master, and Grammy award winner for his album liner notes, presented various recordings and shared information on Eddie Durham throughout the concert.

The Eddie Durham Jazz Celebration, named for the jazz guitar pioneer and San Marcos native, is an annual event that features Texas State student ensembles and a guest combo performing music influenced by, arranged, and composed by Durham.  The event is part of the Hill Country Jazz Festival and presented by the Department of Jazz Studies in the Texas State School of Music and the Center for Texas Music History in the Department of History

Links

• ITG Article on Joe Wilder by Dr. Keith Winking: http://www.trumpetguild.org/pdf/2007journal/200703Wilder.pdf
• Eddie Durham Celebration: http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2010/02/DurhamJazz020210.html

Source: Amanda Pepping, ITG News Editor, Adjunct Professor of Trumpet, Texas State University