Abram Wilson Foundation celebration concert with Reuben James, Yelfris Valdés and Kansas Smitty’s House Band

Raised in the Crescent City and educated alongside Harry Connick Jnr at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Wilson gained a classical scholarship at Ohio Wesleyan University and a Jazz Masters at Eastman School of Music, Rochester University, New York, before moving to London in 2002. There he became deeply involved with the capital’s jazz scene, in particular with bassist Gary Crosby’s Dune Music. A busy decade of recording and performing included albums Soul Vibe, Jazz Warrior, his 2006 Cheltenham Jazz Festival commission Ride! Ferris Wheel to the Modern day Delta and Life Paintings, alongside guest appearances with Soweto Kinch and Denys Baptiste as well as leading his own band with leading saxophonists Jean Toussaint and Peter King.

The evening will feature a performance of Wilson’s final work, The Philippa Project, which was inspired by the life story of Philippa Duke Schuyler, a prodigal, mixed-race concert-pianist, composer, and journalist, with music composed by Wilson and performed here by a group led by Cuban trumpeter Yelfris Valdés. There will also be performances by his former bandmate, rising star pianist Reuben James, who was mentored by Wilson and has since gone on to enjoy global success alongside soul star Sam Smith, plus a set from dynamic brass-led group Kansas Smitty’s House Band.

The evening also celebrates the work of the Abram Wilson Foundation, set up by his wife and manager Jennie Cashman Wilson, to continue the trumpeter’s much-valued educational work with young musicians. The Foundation supports those from disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 11 to 16, moving on to mentoring artists as they develop from amateur to professional level and ultimately helping to encourage collaborations and further employment and educational opportunities.

– Mike Flynn
– Photo by Tim Dickeson

For more info and tickets visit stjamestheatre.co.uk