The Dave Wilson Quartet

WRTI Jazz Album of the Week
August 26, 2019. …if the aim is to recreate a sophisticated evening of live jazz in the comfort of your own home, you really can’t beat One Night at Chris’s, the fifth recording from The Dave Wilson Quartet. Recorded before a live audience at Chris’s Jazz Café, Philadelphia’s longstanding jazz club par excellence, One Night at Chris’s accomplishes all you could want from a live recording: genre-bending covers and bold originals, a fusion of the straight ahead and the slightly more avant-garde, and easy chemistry between a great group of musicians, each of whom are playing at or near their best.
Matt Silver
WRTI Jazz Radio in Philadelphia

“Bands occasionally have a terrible night or encounter the dreaded “gig from hell.” On the other hand, well-rehearsed groups also have exceptional nights when everything clicks. The Dave Wilson Quartet experienced the latter when they played Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia in March 2018…While the quartet really spotlights Dave Wilson’s sax, he and Kirk Reese (piano) trade lyrical improvised expressions, with colorful shading and distinctive twists, in this quartet’s very pleasant set of jazz.   
Joe Ross, Roots Music Report 

“The crackling intensity of One Night at Chris’ is a testament to what can happen on the bandstand on any given night. And this was a particularly good night indeed.”
Bill Milkowski
Bill Milkowski is a longtime contributor to Downbeat and author of “JACO:
The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius” (Backbeat Books)

The Dave Wilson Quartet has released Five CDs under his name: Most recently One Night at Chris’, and previously, There Was Never, Spiral, My Time and Through The Time. Each release has garnered reviews in National publications and at Worldwide internet websites as well as airplay and chart status at regional and national radio stations.

One Night at Chris’ is the fifth release of The Dave Wilson Quartet, recorded live at the famous Chris’ Jazz Cafe’in Philadelphia, PA in March of 2018. The disc contains 10 tracks, four originals by Wilson and six re-arrangements of pop rock favorites including The Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The Devil”, The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” Creed’s “My Own Prison,” Ambrosia’s 1980 hit single, “Biggest Part of Me,” and The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.” Bill Milkowski states in the liner notes of the CD, “savvy adaptations of familiar pop tunes, filtered through a distinctly jazzy prism.” The recording is a document of one evening of music recorded live, no overdubs, no second takes and with all of the nuances, surprises and magic known as Jazz. Read More... Already in rotation nationwide, and achieving “Chartbound” status, on jazz radio, and garnering positive reviews

Previous (4th) Album Released (2016) was There Was Never (ZOHO Music). Recorded at world renowned Red Rock Studios, Saylorsburg, PA, it featured an all-star lineup of Bobby Avey-Piano, Tony Marino-Bass, Alex Ritz-Drums (members of the Dave Liebman Group), performing six original compositions from saxophonist Dave Wilson plus unique and compelling interpretations of three well-known tunes.

The week of Jan 14th, 2016 it reached #18 in the nation-wide Jazz Weekly Jazz Radio Countdown and stayed in the top 50 for 6 weeks! It was in the top 12 of Philadelphia's WRTI Jazz Radio's New Releases for almost two months, reaching a high of #5, and the cut "Cassidy"  was #13 in WRTI'S countdown for the top 100 in 2016. It also had a great review  in the February, 2016 issue of Downbeat Magazine.

Dave Wilson's prior (3rd) recording Spiral, featured internationally known personnel, Phil Markowitz on Piano, Tony Marino on Bass, and Adam Nussbaum on Drums, was released nationally on the Summit Records label in June 2010. It garnered national airplay from some 40 stations nationwide, achieved “Chartbound” status in the Jazz Weekly countdown, topping at #51 nationwide, (staying in the 50’s for over 8 weeks), It received many positive reviews including those in national publications Downbeat (3 1/2 stars) and Jazz Times, along with several other publications.

As a quartet Dave has performed in club and concert venues all over Central Pennsylvania and beyond; in Lancaster at the Long's Park Summer Concert Series, Long's Park Arts and Crafts Festival, Lancaster “Jazz Brews and Blues” Jazz Festival, the Elizabethtown “Music in the Park” Summer Concert Series, Moondancer Winery Jazz Festival, Nissley Vinyard and Twin Brook Winery concert series to name a few. They have also performed at the American Music Festival, Kapona Festival and Italian Lake Concert Series in Harrisburg, the Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, The Scranton Jazz Festival, the fall “Jazz By Night” Festival in Media, PA, twice at the Jazz Bridge sponsored "Neighborhood Concert Series" in Philadelphia, the Penns Woods Winery Wine and Jazz Festival, the Pittsburgh Cider & Mead Festival, Artscape (Baltimore), Manassas (VA) Wine & Jazz Festival, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (DC) Concert Series, several times at the Bethlehem Musikfest, as well as regular appearances at the Old York Street Fair. In 2009 and 2010 they were the headlining act for the York Jazzfest, in York, PA. with an all star group featuring the likes of Phil Markowitz, Jim Ridl, Tony Marino, Adam Nussbaum, and Butch Reed. They have also made regular appearances at Chris’ Jazz Café in center city Philadelphia, the site of their current CD recording “One Night at Chris’”, as well as Twins Jazz Club in Washington, DC., The Garage and the Something Jazz Club, both in New York City.

In recent years Dave's Concert band lineup has included Phil Markowitz, Kirk Reese, New Yorkers  Jim Ridl and Bobby Avey, DC artist Fred Hughes, on piano; Tony Marino, Steve Varner, Steve Meashey, on bass; and Adam Nussbaum, Dan Monaghan, Alex Ritz, and Butch Reed on drums; all individuals with national and/or regional recognition.

As a duo Dave will usually be accompanied by a keyboardist, with percussion tracks for the more commercial gigs. Over the years Wilson's regional trio have included keyboardists Danny Stuber, Dave Winter, Gerry Werner, or Kirk Reese. The Trio has a regular engagement at the Iberian Lounge at the Hotel Hershey, and also appears regionally at this time at such venues as, The Belvedere, The Log Cabin, The Pressroom, Tellus 360 (all in Lancaster Co.); Crawdaddy’s in Harrisburg, Fenicci’s in Hershey, Victor’s, Tutoni’s King George Club, and The Glen Rock Mill Inn, all in York Co.; The Bridge Inn (Reading); as well as Chris’ Jazz Café in Philadelphia. A Dave Wilson public Club Date has his Duo, Trio, or Quartet working hand in hand with the venue to present an evening of music that appeals to an individual clientele, while maintaining a musical integrity, while also working hard to promote the engagement through a detailed mailing lists, social media, internet and print music date sites, as well as his name, reputation, and contacts carved out over thirty years in the business and the public eye.