PALMETTO 2012 (RECORDED JUNE 2023)
Remember the old TV show Leave it to Beaver? When it comes to reviewing Good Trouble, the latest release from drummer Matt Wilson, one might say “Leave it to Matt!” Leave it to Matt to pair the soulful alto of Tia Fuller with the husky tenor of Jeff Lederer (shades of Wilson’s early band with saxophonists Andrew D’Angelo and Joel Frahm). Leave to Matt to showcase “Be That As It May,” a composition by Akihito Gorai, one of his New School students. Leave it to Matt to ignite overlooked pieces like Ornette Coleman’s “Feet Music” and Gary Bartz’s “Libra.” Leave it Matt to explore pop tunes like John Denver’s “Sunshine on My Shoulder” (again reminiscent of his earlier CDs when he gave new life to “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Strangers in the Night”). Leave it to Matt (and Lederer) to dedicate the three-part “Good Trouble Suite” to Representative John Lewis. Leave it to Matt to be the spark plug for this new group that also features wonderful ensemble and solo playing from Dawn Clement on piano and vocals and Ben Allison on bass. Leave it to Matt to play with the innocence of “the Beav,” the snarkiness of Eddie and the maturity of Ward (I dated myself with those references). Finally, Leave it to Matt to inspire, entertain, engage and excite listeners, something he has been doing since the first time I came under this spell at a golf course club house in Des Moines, IA in the late 1990s. Here’s to more episodes of Leave it to Matt from this group or any group he decides to assemble.
BOTTOM LINE: Matt Wilson and his bandmates get into good trouble on Good Trouble, a release that captures the essence of Mr. Wilson — infectious arrangements, interesting tunes, impressive musicians and insatiable joy in every note.
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