Jack Wilson - Easterly Winds (UHQ CD)

The Chicago-born pianist and composer Jack Wilson enjoyed a wide-range of musical associations including work with the likes of Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Lou Rawls, Gerald Wilson, Roy Ayers, and recording leader dates for Atlantic before he made his Blue Note debut in 1966 with the highly unique Something Personal. Easterly Winds—the second of Wilson’s three Blue Note albums and arguably his finest—found the pianist at the helm of a first-rate hard bop sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The six-song set presented four Wilson originals including the groovy opener “Do It" and the sublime ballad “Nirvanna” in addition to a tender rendition of the Johnny Mandel tune “A Time for Love” and “Frank’s Tune” by Frank Strozier, which was recently reimagined by Makaya McCraven on his 2021 Blue Note remix project Deciphering the Message.

UHQ-CD’s reproduce the sound of original master tapes as faithfully as possible by utilizing new transfer technologies and improved materials to produce high-quality sound with a better representation of the whole stage. UHQ-CDs comply with CD standards and can be played on existing players. Each title is presented in a UHQ-CD jewel case with an obi-strip and the original sleeve notes reproduced on the back inlay.

Tracklist:
1. Do It
2. On Children
3. A Time For Love
4. Easterly Winds
5. Nirvanna
6. Frank’s Tune