Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O embarks on nine-concert national album release tour for Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come
Thursday, December 5 – Saturday, December 21 with stops in Tulsa, OK; Wichita, KS; New Haven, CT; Saugerties, NY; New York City, NY; Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, IA; Chicago, IL
The recording celebrates the joyous ensemble’s 15th anniversary
Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O brings its joyful and zany holiday music to eight cities and towns as they celebrate their 15th anniversary and a festive new album Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come. Featuring the legendary Wilson on drums along with multi-reed legend Jeff Lederer and revered bassist Paul Sikivie, they’ll play music from the new album and more. Concerts may include Christmas classics, Puerto Rican Christmas songs, Sephardic Hanukkah songs and so much more!
The band, which is also celebrating Matt Wilson’s 60th birthday year, performs:
∙ Thursday, December 5 at Lowdown, 108 N. Detroit Avenue, Tulsa, OK.
7 p.m. Information at lowdowntulsa.com.
∙ Friday and Saturday, December 6-7 at Walker’s Jazz Lounge, 252 N. Mosley St., Wichita, KS.
8 p.m. $40-$45. Information at walkersjazzlounge.com.
∙ Friday, December 13 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown St., New Haven, CT.
8:30 and 10 p.m. Tickets $15-$20. Information at firehouse12.com.
∙ Saturday, December 14 at The Local, 16 John St., Saugerties, NY.
8 p.m. $29.87-$46.56. Information at thelocalsaugerties.com.
∙ Monday, December 16 at Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York City, NY.
7 p.m. Tickets $20-$55. Information at jazz.org/dizzys.
∙ Wednesday, December 18 at CSPS Hall, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA.
7 p.m. $20-$25. Information at cspshall.com.
∙ Thursday, December 19 at Noce, 1326 Walnut St., Des Moines, IA.
7 p.m. Information at nocedsm.com.
∙ Friday and Saturday, December 20-21 at Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway Avenue, Chicago, IL.
8 p.m. Tickets $20. Information at greenmilljazz.com.
Christmas Tree-O performed their first concert on December 9, 2009, in Brooklyn, NY. They then recorded their seminal album, Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O, at Maggie’s Farm studio on a snowy May day in 2010. The album was released in the fall of 2010 by Palmetto Records.
Since then, the band has performed extensively across the United States and Canada. Their annual sold-out engagements at the Jazz Standard (now held at Dizzy’s) have become a New York City holiday tradition. The band has featured a range of music legends as guests, including Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Kurt Elling, Aaron Diehl, Christian McBride, Esperanza Spaulding, Nels Cline, Camilla Meza, and Cecile McLorin Salvant.
In June 2024, the trio traveled through icy highways to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to record their second album, Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come. A week later, after the thaw, they welcomed the Treedom Singers—Mary LaRose, Audrey Wilson and Gregory Rodriguez—to add their vocal magic to the recording. Dawn Clement plays piano on “Shine Your Light.”
Music Featured on New Album: Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come
1. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day – This is a Christmas classic inspired by the US Civil War era poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Our arrangement features our fine bassist, Paul Sikivie.
2. Do You Hear What I Hear? / Under Pressure – Many folks get stressed out during the holiday season, so I decided to combine a Christmas classic with a classic by Queen and David Bowie.
3. Mariah Parusha – Another sonic concoction honoring pop diva Mariah Carey and the avant-garde saxophone legend, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre.
4. Good King Wenceslas – I would like to dedicate my arrangement of this song to my dear friend, mentor and master drummer, Jeff Hamilton. Jeff is one of greatest wire brush players in jazz history.
5. Up on the Rooftop – What can we say? WE LOVE ORNETTE COLEMAN!
6. Si Me Dan Pasteles – This is a Puerto Rican Christmas song brought to us by our virtuosic reed player, Jeff Lederer. Pasteles are pastries shared by friends during the Christmas season.
7. Rocker – A contra-fact by Gerry Mulligan on the Leroy Anderson classic, “Sleigh Ride.” I supply the horse whinnies.
8. Little Candles – Is a Ladino Hanukkah song traditionally associated with the Sephardic Jewish community.
9. Shine Your Light – A new Christmas song by Jeff Lederer. It was inspired by a poem by Yoko Ono, Light Piece. Our hope is that it becomes a holiday anthem that inspires folks to offer kindness to our world.
Matt Wilson
Few musicians embody the spontaneous energy of jazz like Matt Wilson. The New York-based drummer combines buoyant zeal, idiosyncratic style, infectious humor, joyous swing and an indomitable spirit of surprise. Together, with his universally recognized personal warmth, these qualities have made Wilson one of the most in-demand players and educators on the modern jazz scene, both beloved and respected by his peers, elders and students. Not bad for a mischievous Midwestern boy from Knoxville, Illinois. Whether anchoring an all-star group at the White House, juggling tricky rhythmic swerves with his own quartets, celebrating the holidays with his Christmas Tree-O, exploring the poetry of Carl Sandburg, sensitively supporting vocalists such as Dena DeRose, presenting concerts at a neighborhood church or donning a superhero cape to inspire young musicians to embrace their individuality, Wilson approaches music as a man on a mission: fostering a lively and passionate connection between music and people, whether they be playing or listening to it.
https://www.mattwilsonjazz.com/
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