Anthony Wonsey - Lorraine’s Lullabies (2021 Cellar Live)

When I think of the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child," I often think of my music training and all of the great musicians and people I have come across throughout the years, starting with the great trumpeter Zilner Randolph, who was Louis Armstrong's musical director in the '40s. I was five years old when I met the master, and the piano lessons he gave me were really life lessons - I just did not realize it at the time. The village raising a child soon grew, and I entered high school, where Reginald Willis became my mentor. Because of this, I won a four-year scholarship to Berklee College of Music. Mulgrew Miller and James Williams as well as my peers and other members of the village became my teachers and mentors. Now, living in New York City since '95, I continue to be inspired in this great city by great musicians and great people. One of those great people is Lorraine Tiezzi, who is a real lover of this Black American art form. This album is about saying thank you to all the people in the village who continue to raise that child. Since the pandemic, it has really humbled me in many ways - this is my way of saying thank you. I bring you Lorraine's lullabies.

-Anthony Wonsey

New York City

Photo: Sergio Santillán

1. Sweet Lorraine 04:59

2. Giving Rise to Doubt 07:03

3. I Didn't Know What Time It Was 07:04

4. Little Mouse 07:33

5. Blues for Hiroshi 06:59

6. It Might As Well Be Spring 08:17

7. Blacker Black's Revenge 05:12

8. Avo's Blooze 04:13

9. Do You Remember Me 08:03

10. Melancholy Mind 06:44

Anthony Wonsey – piano

Dmitri Kolesnik – bass (2 – 7, 9)

Brandi Disterfheft – bass (8 & 10)

Chris Beck – drums (3 – 10)

Antoine Drye – trumpet (8, 9)

Zet Harris – tenor saxophone (8, 9), soprano saxophone (10)

Milton Suggs – voice (10)

Produced by Jeremy Pelt

Recorded at GB’s Juke Joint in Astoria, NY on January 24, 2021

Engineered by Glen Bluey

Mixed and mastered by Ian Hendrickson-Smith

Cover Art by Gerald Cannon (www.cannonmusicnart.com)

Photography by Carolin Rechberg

Design and layout by John Sellards

PRE-ORDER

Chris Beck - The Journey (2018)

Debut album "The Journey" featuring Anthony Wonsey, Eric Wheeler, and Stacy Dillard w/ Special Guest Terell Stafford

Since arriving in New York from his native Philadelphia in 2006, Chris Beck has made a name for himself as one of today’s premier drummers, traveling the world and working with artists as diverse as Cyrus Chestnut, Oliver Lake, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Wynton Marsalis, Rufus Reid and Macy Gray. With his debut release, The Journey, Beck has given us a recording that honestly expresses his emotions and his respect for the straight-ahead jazz tradition.

For this session, Chris surrounded himself with some of his best friends: tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Anthony Wonsey and bassist Eric Wheeler. Their camaraderie is immediately evident on the first tune, a driving rendition of Wayne Shorter’s composition "Mahjong." As the tune fades out, you find yourself wanting more — and Chris Beck delivers, filling the album with his own melodic and gospel-tinged compositions interspersed with other jazz standards, including Freddie Hubbard’s "Birdlike" and Quincy Jones’ "The Quintessence."

Chris is obviously a spiritual person, and his faith has sustained him in the face of tragedy — the loss of his son Aiden just weeks before his second birthday. The composition “Waiting for Aiden” is dedicated to his firstborn. Beck also reveals his talent as a vocalist on Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” dedicated, as Chris says, to “every grieving parent who is living with a piece of their heart missing.” 

1) Mahjong

2) Ode To Mother Young

3) Teona

4) Byrdlike

5) Hodge-Podge

6) Yeshua (His Love)

7) Quintessence

8) Waiting For Aiden

9) Tears In Heaven

10) My Inner Circle

PHILLY CD Release Party - June 6th @ South, 7:00pm & 9:00pm

CHRIS BECK // DRUMMER from Boat Safety Films on Vimeo.

Ferit Odman - Autumn In New York (EQUINOX MUSIC & ENTERAINMENT 2018)

'Autumn in New York' is the 2nd album by highly praised Jazz Drummer Ferit Odman. Contains 7 straight-ahead Jazz tunes such as 'Autumn in New York' by Vernon Duke, 'The Soulful Mr. Timmons' by James Williams, 'Step Lightly' by Benny Golson and many more. Accompanied by trumpeter Terell Stafford and alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, Anothony Wonsey and Peter Washington this album was a great follow-up to Ferit's debut album 'Nommo'. Now available on CD the music for this 2011 released album was recorded at Acoustic Recording in Brooklyn, New York in November 2010.

Dick Oatts - Use Your Imagination (SteepleChase Productions ApS 2017)

Dick Oatts' sensitive and cerebral approach to music enhanced by his "monster chops" is manifested here again on his eleventh leader album on SteepleChase, whoch features seven original compositions plus Cole Porter's "Use Your Imagination". 

Jazz critic Owen Cordle once described Dick Oatts as "an uncompromising jazz musician, one who possesses monster chops without trumpeting them." Dick Oatts has, since his move to NYC in the late 70s, been one of the most sought-after soloists on alto sax on both the NY scene and the international stage. 

He has performed with Red Rodney, Bob Brookmeyer, Mel Lewis, Jerry Bergonzi, Fred Hersch, Lester Bowie, Joe Lovano, Sam Jones-Tom Harrell, Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente, Kenny Wheeler and others.

1. Yesteryear

2. Do Da Day

3. Speaking Relative

4. Como Uno

5. Lossofyou

6. Use Your Imagination

7. Mideast Midwest

8. Game Show

Dick Oatts (alto saxophone)

Joe Magnarelli (trumpet)

Anthony Wonsey (piano)

Ugonna Okegwo (bass)

Chris Smith (drums)