Wilson Myers

Among the great bassists in New Orleans jazz along with other basic jazz styles through the ’20s and ’30s, Wilson Myers’ adoration of classical music earned him a seriously amusing nickname, however they might have just like easily called him “Serious” for becoming something of the one-man chapel during his old age in Philadelphia. Myers was created in Pennsylvania aswell, but his musical tale begins much further down the coastline in addition to nowhere whatsoever. The latter manifestation evokes not merely the alienated nothingness to be “on the highway” however the secret of ’20s revues undocumented by press junkets, biographical memorabilia, and tour diaries. Myers 1st shows up on the far side of the tempo section wall structure, playing drums within the touring music group of traditional blues vocalist Bessie Smith. No kind of hurdle between instrument family members intimidated Myers, who like famous classical music educators perfected or at least discovered his method around a number of axes: clarinet and trombone, after that acoustic guitar and banjo appropriately from the middle-’20s in to the early following 10 years. From 1931 he was dealing with a number of the finest New Orleans jazz rings, switching to bass while with Ruler Oliver. Myers was a normal using the Bechet-Ladnier New Orleans Footwarmers, toured European countries with Lucky Millinder, and became area of the expatriate jazz audience, swinging in one baguette to another in France with Willie Lewis among others. Organizing and bandleading became section of Myers’ extended activities upon time for America as well as the jazz moments in NEW YORK and Philadelphia. The Nick’s place in the previous town became the locale for a continuing golf swing fest with bandleaders Sidney Bechet and Mezz Mezzrow. Myers was also back the Spirits of Tempo, a group he previously worked with in the last decade. He composed agreements for Jimmy Dorsey and in 1944 plopped in to the trio Plink, Plank, Plunk with pianist Bob Mosley and drummer Tiger Haynes. Many years later it had been as though Myers had been immersing himself anew in Ellingtonia, moving in and from the tempo section in trumpeter Rex Stewart’s groupings in addition to actually getting Ellington’s bassist — for just two months. Myers held several his own functioning, largely within the Philly region, the demand because of this organization perhaps dwindling because the leader’s spiritual passions became swollen. “Critical” was a casual preacher, but was evidently keeping up a reliable tirade of his dogma well in to the ’70s.