Jack Rivers Lewis (born June 4, 1944), known professionally as Jack Wilkins, is a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
guitarist.
Career
A native of New York City, Wilkins grew up listening to his parents' music, such as
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
,
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
, and
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...
. He started playing guitar when he was thirteen. He had an older cousin who played albums for him by
Charlie Christian
Charles Henry Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American swing and jazz guitarist.
Christian was an important early performer on the electric guitar and a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained nati ...
,
Tal Farlow
Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. As Steve Rochinski notes, "Of all the guitarists to emerge in th ...
,
Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...
, and
Johnny Smith
Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Early life
During the Great Dep ...
. He cites Smith's ''Designed for You'' as one of the albums that meant the most to him, in addition to ''
Sounds of Synanon'' by
Joe Pass
Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...
, ''Poll Winners'' by
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...
, ''
The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow
''The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow'' is an album by American jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, released in 1957. Allmusic entry for ''The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow''Accessed August 2009.
Track listing
#"Taking a Chance on Love" (Vernon Duke, John ...
'', and ''Interpretations of Tal Farlow''.
While still in his teens, he worked as a guitarist in bands led by
Les Elgart
Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter.
Early Years
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed to ...
,
Larry Elgart
Lawrence Joseph Elgart (March 20, 1922 – August 29, 2017) was an American jazz bandleader. With his brother Les, he recorded "Bandstand Boogie", the theme to the long-running dance show ''American Bandstand''.
Biography
Elgart was born in ...
,
Warren Covington
Warren Covington (August 7, 1921 – August 24, 1999) was an American big band trombonist. He was active as a session musician, arranger, and bandleader throughout his career.
Biography
Covington, who was born in Philadelphia, played early on ...
, and
Sammy Kaye
Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...
.
He also worked with
Dan Armstrong
Dan Kent Armstrong (October 7, 1934 June 8, 2004) was an American guitarist, luthier, and session musician.
Biography
Armstrong was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started playing the guitar at age 11, and moved to New York in the early 1 ...
,
Lew Soloff
Lewis Michael Soloff (February 20, 1944–March 8, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and actor.
Biography
From his birth place of New York City, United States, he studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard Sc ...
,
Lew Tabackin
Lewis Barry Tabackin (born March 26, 1940) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and flutist. He is married to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi with whom he has co-led large ensembles since the 1970s.
Biography
Tabackin started learning flute at age 1 ...
, and
Lloyd Wells
Lloyd Wells is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger.
Music career
He grew up in Laurel, Mississippi, the home town of jazz guitarist, Mundell Lowe. He did his first professional work playing for square dances while still attending ...
. In his twenties, he worked as a vibraphonist. He formed the band The Jazz Partners and played vibes with pianist
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...
, who admired the work of
Bill Evans
William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
,
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
, and Barney Kessel. Wilkins and Manilow arranged songs from Kessel's albums for their group. A copy of his first solo album, ''Windows'' (
Mainstream
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
Mu ...
, 1973), found its way into the hands of
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.
Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...
's manager. Wilkins then became a member of the Buddy Rich septet.
Wilkins has also worked with
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era.
Biography
Born in Philadel ...
,
Frank Foster,
Sonny Fortune
Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. Fortune played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute.
Biography
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
,
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...
,
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
,
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...
,
Jimmy McGriff
James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader.
Biography Early years and influences
Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Germantown, Pennsylvania, Uni ...
,
Sal Nistico
Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to:
Personal name
* Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
Places
* Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality
* Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Ca ...
,
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...
,
Sonny Stitt
Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his ...
,
Jack DeJohnette
Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer.
Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, ...
,
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...
, and the
Brecker Brothers
The Brecker Brothers were a jazz fusion music duo consisting of siblings Michael Brecker, Michael and Randy Brecker, Randy. Michael played saxophone, flute, and EWI (musical instrument), EWI, and Randy played trumpet and flugelhorn. The brothers ...
.
Discography
As leader
* ''Windows'' (Mainstream, 1973)
* ''You Can't Live Without It'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977)
* ''Merge'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977)
* ''Captain Blued'' (CTI, 1983)
* ''Opal'' (CTI, 1983)
* ''Call Him Reckless'' (Musicmasters, 1989)
* ''Alien Army'' (Musicmasters, 1991)
* ''Mexico'' (CTI, 1992)
* ''Keep in Touch'' (Claves, 1996)
* ''Trioart'' (Arabesque, 1998)
* ''Bluesin'' (String Jazz, 1999)
* ''Just the Two of Us'' with
Gene Bertoncini
Gene J. Bertoncini (born 6 April 1937) is an American jazz guitarist.
Biography
Bertoncini was born in New York City, where he was raised in a musical family. His father, Mario Bertoncini (1901–1978), played guitar and harmonica. Gene began pl ...
(Chiaroscuro, 2000)
* ''Heading North'' (String Jazz, 2001)
* ''Reunion'' (Chiaroscuro, 2002)
* ''Christmas Jazz Guitar'' (Mel Bay, 2004)
* ''Dear Old Stockholm'' (NHV, 2008)
* ''Until It's Time'' (Maxjazz, 2009)
* ''Constellation'' with the Struggles All Stars (Progressive, 2010)
* ''The Rundle Sessions'' (Chronograph, 2019)
As sideman
With
Nancy Harrow
Nancy Harrow (born October 3, 1930, New York City) is an American jazz singer and songwriter.
Career
Harrow studied classical piano beginning at age seven, then decided to pursue careers in dancing and singing.
She released an album for Candid ...
* ''Anything Goes'' (Audiophile, 1979)
* ''Two's Company'' (Inner City, 1984)
* ''Winter Dreams'' (Artists House, 2003)
With
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.
Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...
* ''Very Live at Buddy's Place'' (Groove Merchant, 1974)
* ''The Bull'' (Chiaroscuro, 1980)
* ''Tuff Dude'' (Denon, 1986)
With others
*
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".
Baker earned much attention and ...
& Jim Hall & Hubert Laws, ''Studio Trieste'' (CTI, 1982)
*
Peter Bernstein, ''We Remember Tal'' (J-Curve, 1999)
*
Bob Brookmeyer
Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Ge ...
, ''The Bob Brookmeyer Small Band'' (Gryphon, 1978)
*
Bubba Brooks
David Kenneth Brooks, Jr., better known as Bubba Brooks or Bubber Brooks (May 29, 1922 in Fayetteville, North Carolina – April 11, 2002) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was the brother of Tina Brooks.
Brooks's first professiona ...
, ''Polka Dots and Moonbeams'' (TCB, 2002)
*
Jay Clayton, ''In and Out of Love'' (Sunnyside, 2010)
*
Chris Connor
Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009) was an American jazz singer.
Biography
Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Shir ...
, ''I Walk with Music'' (HighNote, 2002)
*
Albert Dailey
Albert Preston Dailey (June 16, 1939 – June 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist.
Early life
Dailey was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Albert Preston Dailey Sr, and Gertrude Johnson Dailey.Jon Pareles"Albert Dailey, 46, Jazz P ...
, ''The Day After the Dawn'' (Columbia, 1972)
*
Sonny Fortune
Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. Fortune played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute.
Biography
He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
, ''Serengeti Minstrel'' (Atlantic, 1977)
*
Astrud Gilberto
Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema".
Biography
Astrud Gilbert ...
, ''That Girl from Ipanema'' (Image, 1977)
*
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...
, ''Hamp's Blues'' (LRC, 1986)
*
Julius Hemphill
Julius Arthur Hemphill (January 24, 1938 – April 2, 1995) was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute.
Biography
Hemphill was born in Fort Worth, Texas, ...
, ''Julius Hemphill Big Band'' (Elektra Musician, 1988)
*
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...
, ''Swingin' Away'' (Black Lion,)
*
Paul Jeffrey
Paul Jeffrey (April 8, 1933 – March 20, 2015) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and educator. He was a member of Thelonious Monk's regular group from 1970–1975, and also worked extensively with other musicians such as Charles ...
, ''Watershed'' (Mainstream, 1973)
*
Morgana King
Maria Grazia Morgana Messina (June 4, 1930 – March 22, 2018), known as Morgana King, was an American jazz singer and actress.Liner notes by Joel Dorn – Morgana King album ''The Complete Reprise Recordings'' (2000).Liner notes by Ed Osborne †...
, ''Everything Must Change'' (Muse, 1979)
* Morgana King, ''Higher Ground'' (Muse, 1980)
*
Amy London
Amy London is a jazz singer and educator who has appeared on Broadway and in the vocal group ''The Royal Bopsters''. London grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. She moved to Manhattan in 1980 and began teaching jazz vocals in 1984.
''When I Look in Your ...
, ''Bridges'' (FiveCut, 2014)
*
The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music.
There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...
, ''Swing'' (Atlantic, 1997)
*
Barry Miles
Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared ...
, ''Barry Miles'' (Poppy Music, 1970)
*
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
, ''Me Myself an Eye'' (Atlantic, 1979)
* Charles Mingus, ''Something Like a Bird'' (Atlantic, 1980)
*
Mingus Big Band
The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...
, ''I Am Three'' (Sunnyside, 2005)
*
Sal Nistico
Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to:
Personal name
* Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
Places
* Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality
* Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Ca ...
& Kenny Barron & Anthony Jackson & Buddy Rich, ''Transition'' (Groove Merchant, 1974)
*
Jonathan Schwartz, ''Alone Together'' (Muse, 1977)
*
Dave Tofani
Dave Tofani is an American saxophonist and woodwind player, and composer. As a session musician he has performed on over 500 jazz, pop, and rock recordings such as the clarinet solo on " Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" by Soft Cell.AllMusic Dave Tofani ...
, ''Nights at the Inn'' (SoloWinds, 2007)
*
Pete Yellin, ''It's the Right Thing'' (Mainstream, 1973)
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Jack
1944 births
Living people
American jazz guitarists
Manhattan School of Music faculty
Arabesque Records artists
Chiaroscuro Records artists
Mainstream Records artists
20th-century American guitarists
CTI Records artists