Adult Themes

by Alex HendersonAnthony Wilson showed a fair amount of promise on his self-titled debut album of 1997, and he lives up to that promise on 1998's Goat Hill Junket, and on his third album Adult Themes. This CD is noteworthy not only because of Wilson's Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar playing, but also because of his arranging and composing. On Adult Themes, Wilson leads what Phil Woods might call a "little big band." No less than five horn players are employed (including trumpeter/flügelhornist Carl Saunders, trombonist Ira Nepus, alto saxophonist Jeff Clayton, tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb, and baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz), and the hard-swinging rhythm section includes, among others, pianist Donald Vega, bassist Danton Boller, and drummer Mark Ferber. Wilson does much of the writing himself, but he also provides inventive arrangements of the Beatles' "Because," Donald Fagen's "Maxine," and the traditional Irish ballad "Danny Boy." None of these songs have been done to death by jazz musicians, and Wilson deserves credit for successfully bringing them into a jazz environment. Adult Themes isn't innovative, but this enjoyable date is certainly neither generic nor predictable.