Athenaeum Jazz—Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O

*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*

The fall series concludes on Friday, December 5, with Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O. Described as “An ambassador of good feeling” (New York Times), drummer Matt Wilson is one of the most in-demand musicians in jazz. He presents this joyous trio project celebrating the holiday season with his own characteristically humorous and at times eccentric sendups of holiday classics. The band, now in its 25th year, features sax virtuoso Jeff Lederer and bassist Paul Sikivie. Wilson’s greatest gift is his knack for invention and the unbridled sense of fun he brings to the bandstand—a perfect combination for the holiday season. As The New York Times remarked, “Wonder and innocence, gaudiness and cheer: can it be any surprise that the jazz drummer Matt Wilson thrives around the holidays?”

Wilson’s last Athenaeum appearance was in 2020 with his Honey & Salt quintet celebrating the work of American poet Carl Sandburg, a project for which he received the Jazz Journalists Association’s designation as Jazz Artist of the Year. JazzTimes wrote, “There are a few more emphatically dazzling drummers working today, but almost nobody in Wilson’s peer group with a broader grasp of jazz or a more natural sense of time, or a stronger signature as a bandleader, or more goodwill among his fellow players.”

Image: Matt Wilson; photo credit: John Abbott

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