Matt Wilson, Hug! Review

Matt Wilson remembers when music was used to uplift and be a positive force with no agenda or political undercurrent. Wilson is here to give us all a jazz Hug! A set of eleven tracks is based on the jazz tradition of hard-swinging. The drummer is a feel-good time-keeping machine with a subtle touch that has played with an impressive list of jazz icons. On Hug!, he is joined by Jeff Lederer on saxophone, cornetist Kirk Knuffke and bassist Chris Lightcap. The chordless quartet really lets Wilson’s playing shine through the set that includes selections from Gene Ammons, Abdullah Ibrahim, Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and even country icon Roger Miller. Wilson also composed a few for the set. Hug! is being released on the Palmetto label.

Hug! waste no time setting up the good vibes with the opening track “The One Before This.” A bluesy swing number that finds Wilson doing what he does best, swinging. Lederer’s saxophone solo has a lot of personality and interesting turns of phrases. “Joie de Vivre,” which I first heard on Dewey Redman’s The Struggle Continues album, is also a highlight. The quartet is alive on this track, and the interaction between Wilson and Knoffke and Lederer is delightful. Roger Miller’s “King of the Road” shows off Wilson’s brushwork and Lederer’s clarinet skills. “Sonny and Share” is an original Wilson composition that flows in a manner a lot like an Ornette Coleman composition. Ok, so, there is a political side to Hug! “Space Force March/Interplanetary Music” is the quartet playing to President Donald Trump’s Space Force speech. Well, we almost had a great feeling album with no political ties, but just skip that track, and you are good to go! That’s the short of it!

Connect with Matt Wilson: Website |