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There was a “standing room only” crowd at the big band jazz concert on March 11 in special tribute to Gerald Wilson, world-renowned composer, arranger, orchestrator, instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and dedicated educator, who is retiring from teaching in the Department of Ethnomusicology.
Bubba Jackson and Tommy Hawkins from radio station KJZZ emceed the event, with help from Jazz Studies director and Professor of Ethnomusicology Kenny Burrell.
Wilson's compositions were performed by UCLA jazz faculty including Kenny Burrell, George Bohanon, Clayton Cameron, Tamir Hendelman, Roberto Miranda, Barbara Morrison, James Newton, Charles Owens, Bobby Rodriguez, Michele Weir, guest artists Ernie Andrews and Anthony Wilson, and student ensembles:
The UCLA Jazz Orchestra, directed by Charley Harrison; the UCLA Latin Jazz Ensemble, directed by Bobby Rodriguez; and the UCLA Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, directed by Kenny Burrell and Roberto Miranda.
Following the concert, the Friends of Jazz at UCLA hosted a private reception for Gerald in the Schoenberg Hall courtyard where friends and fans continued the celebration.
Adjunct assistant professor Gerald Wilson began teaching in the Department of Ethnomusicology in 1992. From Fall 1992 to Winter 2008, he taught the jazz history course "The Development of Jazz." For a number of years, he also directed the "Number One Big Band" (now called the UCLA Jazz Orchestra).
Wilson's many years of teaching reflect his ongoing commitment to jazz education. As a musician who has made many significant contributions to the jazz genre over many decades, Wilson has provided students with a unique opportunity to experience jazz history through the eyes of someone who is a "primary source" of knowledge. UCLA has recognized Wilson’s extraordinary excellence in teaching jazz history, awarding him the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award for non-Senate faculty in 2006. Wilson has also made his historic contributions to the world of jazz available to the UCLA community. To this end, Wilson has donated many of his commercial recordings to the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, in order to give students, faculty, and the larger community of Los Angeles access to his important legacy. In acknowledgment of Wilson’s important dual role as musician and educator, he was interviewed for the UCLA Oral History Program. Part of the Central Avenue Sounds collection, the interview, titled “Central Avenue Sounds Oral History Transcript, 1991: Gerald Wilson,” is available at the UCLA Young Research Library, Special Collections.
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