Happy Birthday "Joe Lee Wilson Born December 22, 1935 A gospel-influenced jazz singer originally from Bristow, Oklahoma. During the 70's Owned a Popular Jazz Club in NYC "THE LADIES FORT"

[WASHINGTON DC JAZZ NETWORK]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

JOE LEE WILSON

"THE LADIES FORT""

"Music is a healing force," said Mr. Wilson, as he stood waiting to perform at the second floor theatre of the Greenwich Music School on Sunday night, September 30, for a tribute to Greenwich Village firemen who died at the World Trade Center attack. The event was organized by jazz pianist Fiona Bicket and the singer Zoe.

Joe Lee Wilson (born 1935) is a gospel-influenced jazz singer originally from Bristow, Oklahoma. USA. He is known for singing affecting ballads.

Biography

As his band’s name (Joy of Jazz) suggests, Joe Lee’s rich baritone voice personifies the life-affirming nature of jazz and blues. Seeing Billie Holiday perform in 1951 began his jazz odyssey; he studied in LA before touring the West Coast, where he sat in with Sarah Vaughan, and down to Mexico. In New York in the 60s, he worked with Sonny Rollins, Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders and Jackie McLean; during the 1970s, he operated a jazz performance loft in New York City's NoHo District known as the Ladies' Fortat 2 Bond Street. The location was one block from a space run by Sam Rivers, Studio Rivbea. The proximity of the two performance, practice spaces made Bond St. a center of creative music in NYC. He performed Sunday afternoons at the Ladies Fort. His show were exuberant. His regular band (Joe Lee Wilson Plus 5, featured the outstanding alto saxophonist Monty Waters (from Modesto, CA} and for several years Japanese guitarist, Ryo Kawasaki (before he led his own group). Archie Shepp, and Eddie Jefferson were frequent collaborators at these sessions.

He also sang with Eddie Jefferson,

Leon Thomas

George Braith

Freddie Hubbard,

Kenny Dorham and others. He recorded a live radio program at WKCR-FM, Columbia University, on July 16, 1972, which was released as an LP, "Livin' High Off Nickels & Dimes," on the short lived Oblivion Records in New York. Joe's rendition of "Jazz Ain't Nothing But Soul" was a radio hit on New York jazz radio in 1975. The entire LP is available for free download at the Oblivion Records blog (see below).

Now based in Paris, Tokyo and the UK, he has recorded regularly with US pianist Kirk Lightsey, including the Candid recording Feelin’ Good. There is also a recent CD Italian recording with Riccardo Arrighini and Gianni Basso, ‘Ballads for Trane’

"Joe Lee," as he is affectionately known, had come to New York to promote his new CD, "Feelin' Good," (Candidrecords.com) just before September 11th. That night he sang "Goin' Home," "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," "Jazz Ain't Nothin' But Soul," and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," with his beautiful baritone voice sculpting sounds like horn player, beating riffs out like a drum.

Mr. Wilson is about six feet tall and has the bearing of a tribal chief, with a warm, charismatic stage presence. He is part native American from the Creek Nation. He plays guitar and piano and has written original songs which combine jazz with native American poetic ideas, scales and rhythmic motifs.

Joe Lee Wilson and Joan Cartwright

During his visit he was featured at concerts in New York and New Jersey, and at private functions sponsored by Amiri Baraka (aka poet Leroy Jones).

Passing through Manhattan, Joe Lee sat in on bebop guru Barry Harris's vocal class, which takes place every Tuesday at a community center on West 65th Street. "Every time I come here I'm nervous because I know he's going to call on me, like … 'Joe Lee, show them how to do it,'" he said, after singing a chorus on Ellington's 'Lucky So and So. Read more...

GEORGE V JOHNSON JR
Executive Director
Washington DC Jazz Network
240-691-3868

My first gig in NYC was in the Village at Joe Lee's LADIES FORT.

George Braith also helped run the club . It was arranged by Eddie Jefferson 1975. Jimmy Lovelace, Hakim Jamie-bass I forgot who the pianist was. but I drove up to NYC and stayed at Eddie Place. It was so funny I had no sheet music. Eddie was pissed and gave me hell. It was so funny, but he said you better sing your ass off...hahahahahahhaa..I was sort of scared but hell I knew his material and had been singing it since I was a kid. Hey and I still got the cassette tapes from that night...smile!. I told the cats to play the music just like the records. I didn't know anything about keys or sheet music..and it worked...smile!. We turned out the club..and that was my first experience in NYC. Me and E.J. became very close after that night. You can hear what he had to say here. Listen to the first song. Me, Eddie Jefferson, Leon Thomas and Joe Lee Wilson became very close friends.

In 1980 me and Leon were hanging out at the Village Vanguard and he introduced me to Pharoah Sanders. He told him of my relationship with E.J. and asked if I wanted to sit in. It was a great night. 5 days later he called and asked if I would like to hang out with him. When I got to the address it was Power Station Studio. I watched them lay down a few tracks and suddenly he walked over and asked If I would like to sing my lyrics to Moments Notice...One take was all it took...I did my first record date. The LP REJOICE! I was featured vocalist and sang my original lyrics to John Coltrane's classic Moments Notice. Leon passed the torch...just as Eddie did 6 years earlier. Eddie died May 9th 1979 and Leon died May 9th 1999. I made Leon's myspace site. They were two peas in a pod...if you only knew the conversations we had. I have about 10 cassette tapes with conversations of Eddie Jefferson. I'm transferring them over to MP3's and will be featuring on my radio show very soon...to be continued...

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