21st October 2019: Whirlwind signs saxophonist and composer Will Vinson for January 2020 release ‘four forty one’
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We’re pleased to announce the signing of saxophonist & composer Will Vinson who’ll be releasing his Whirlwind debut four forty one on January 31st, 2020 on all formats.
The album will be his eighth solo release and features a truly remarkable cast of leading musicians in pianists Sullivan Fortner, Tigran Hamaysan, Gerald Clayton, Fred Hersch and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, with rhythm section players Matt Brewer, Matt Penman, Rick Rosato, Larry Grenadier, Obed Calvaire, Billy Hart, Clarence Penn, Jochen Rueckert and Eric Harland.
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Will tells us about the new release in his own words:
“At heart, I am a frustrated pianist. It may be on the saxophone that I’ve found a voice, but it’s the piano that has captivated, inspired, and eluded me my whole life. This project is a dream come true – my chance to make music with five of the greatest exponents of the instrument the world of Jazz (and let’s face it, the rest of the world too) has ever seen. On this record, you’ll listen to a lot of me, it’s true. But what you’ll hear more abundantly than anything else is the sound of my reveling in the presence of ten of the greatest hands currently in the business of coaxing genius out of eighty-eight keys. The honor I felt recording this material in the company of these artists (as well as the earth-shattering rhythm section players, all magicians in their own right) is impossible to overstate, so I’ll leave it to your ears to process, and hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did, as a bystander and participant at the same time.”
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Originally from London, Alto Saxophonist/Composer Will Vinson moved to New York City in 1999 and has remained there ever since. Since his arrival, he has appeared and/or recorded with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ari Hoenig, Marcus Gilmore, Chris Potter, Kurt Elling, Lage Lund, Aaron Parks, and many others.
Will is a member of a number of leading ensembles, including pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s Quartet (he appears on Charlie and the Grammy-nominated Caminos), Ari Hoenig’s Punk Bop and Nonet (Will appears on Inversations, Bert’s Playground and Live at Smalls), Miguel Zenon’s Identities Orchestra (Grammy-nominated for Identities are Changeable), and his own groups featuring, among others, Lage Lund, Jeff Ballard, Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Shai Maestro and Mike Moreno.
In 2012, along with bassist Orlando le Fleming and guitarist Lage Lund, he formed the critically acclaimed OWL Trio, whose eponymous debut in 2013 was hailed by critics and listeners alike. Downbeat declared: “Everything about this album,which should contend for debut of the year honors,is a resounding success. The music swings effortlessly, every utterence is gorgeous and the recording is intimate and beautiful”, while All About Jazz noted that “the chemistry, sensitivity and simpatico sensibilities exhibited by these three young men are evident at every turn…. OWL Trio is one of those records that finds power in quiet expression, not raised volume or aggression. Lund, Vinson and le Fleming make for an absorbing combination”
Will has an international reputation as a leader and sideman. All About Jazz New York describes Will as playing “with a relentless force”. Thomas Michelsen of Denmark’s Politiken, hails this “very exciting saxophonist” with a “beautiful, softly modulating tone”, and John Fordham of The Guardian described a “superb solo of rugged leathery sounds turning into mellifluous high notes” with “secure control and storming energy”. Time Out London calls will an “exciting young altoist with a lethal approach to writing and soloing”.
Will has released six albums as a leader/composer. It’s For You (Sirocco Jazz, 2004) was described as “combining a thoughtful originality of conception with energy and fluidity of execution in very satisfying proportions” (Jazzwise Magazine). His second album, Promises (NineteenEight Records), was described as “impressive” and “coolly restrained” by Nate Chinen of the New York Times. 2010 saw the release of two albums: The World (Through My Shoes), a live recording was described as “marvelous” by Downbeat and “exhilarating, cascading… outstanding” by Jazz Times. Stockholm Syndrome (Criss Cross) came out in September 2010. 2013 saw the release of Live at Smalls, one of the most successful albums on the Smalls Live Label. 2016 saw the release of Will’s debut recording for 5Passion, Perfectly Out of Place, featuring an all-star group: Mike Moreno on guitar, Gonzalo Rubalcaba on piano, Matt Penman on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. The reviews have been ecstatic. All About Jazz calls it “a marvel of compositional design, textural beauty, and musicality”; Downbeat lauds the “incredibly original” compositions that “challenge the notion of how jazz is defined in this era”, Jazzwise describes it as “heart-stopping”, and Sterophile Magazine declares Will “one of the best alto saxophonists in Jazz”.
Will has appeared with his own group and as a sideman in the USA, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Australia and Japan. His musical experience has not been limited to Jazz. Will is a member of Rufus Wainwright’s band, which toured for 10 months in 2007/8. He has also performed, arranged and/ or recorded with Sufjan Stevens, Sean Lennon, Martha Wainwright, Beth Orton and Harper Simon.
Will’s saxophone playing is executed with incredible power and dramatic sensitivity, and is characterized by his imposing sound and technique; influenced by saxophonists from Cannonball to Chris Potter, he nevertheless brings his own unique approach to every performance. Will’s writing, and the playing of his colleagues, combines a great respect for the century-long jazz tradition with explorations into the rhythmic, harmonic and melodic realms of contemporary forms.
