Jack Wilkins - 1973 - Windows

Jack Wilkins

1973

Windows

01. Windows

02. Naima

03. Canzona

04. Pinocchio

05. Red Clay

06. Song For The Last Act

Drums, Percussion – Bill Goodwin

Bass– Mike Moore

Guitars – Jack Wilkins

Producer – Bob Shad

Guitarist Jack Wilkins' debut on producer Bob Shad's Mainstream label lay gathering dust for almost forty-five years before being reissued on CD by Solid Records in 2017. That disc, and now WeWantSounds' 2018 vinyl edition, have restored to general circulation an album that can be filed alongside such mid-twentieth century jazz-guitar gems as Johnny Smith's Moonlight In Vermont (Roost, 1956), Wes Montgomery's Incredible Jazz Guitar (Riverside, 1960) and Grant Green's Idle Moments (Blue Note, 1964), from each of which Windows suggests Wilkins drew inspiration.

The cause of Windows' long spell in purgatory was that following Bob Shad's passing in 1985, Mainstream was acquired by Sony, who sat on it for decades. This despite the fact that Mainstream's spiritual-jazz / freedom-jazz catalogue is on a par with those of its contemporaries Strata-East, Impulse and Muse. Sony's inaction was a crime against jazz. Things only picked up when Shad's grandson, film-maker Judd Apatow, bought back the rights and licensed Solid's and WeWantSounds' reissue programmes.

Windows began to develop cult status with a new generation of listeners in 1993, when A Tribe Called Quest included a sample of the album's slow-funk Freddie Hubbard cover, "Red Clay," on Midnight Marauders (Jive). On the other tracks, Wilkins blends Johnny Smith's chordal improvising, Wes Montgomery's parallel-octave runs and the languorous single-note runs Green brought to ballads. The material includes Chick Corea's title track, Wayne Shorter's "Pinocchio" and John Coltrane's "Naima." The other two tracks, the furiously paced "Canzona" and gorgeous acoustic-guitar feature "Song For The Last Act," are originals by Mike Moore, bassist on the session.

Windows cannot be said to have broken any new ground, but it dug deep into previously charted territory and it still makes for glorious listening. Its reissue is a major event. So too are WeWantSounds' other Mainstream releases—Buddy Terry's Awareness (1971), Harold Land's A New Shade Of Blue (1971) and a couple of various artists compilations including the outstanding Innerpeace: Rare Spiritual Funk And Jazz Gems: The Supreme Sound Of Bob Shad (1971-1974). These discs have previously been reviewed here. Hopefully, many more reissues will follow.

In jazz, as with any creative endeavor, adverse circumstances occasionally precipitate unforeseen successes. Such was the case on the occasion of Windows, guitarist Jack Wilkins’ debut as a leader for the Mainstream label back in 1972. Absent a studio-present producer and saddled with an instrument that appeared the worse for wear along with an amp that proved too powerful for the recording space, Wilkins took matters into his own hands and opted for some quietly radical solutions. Bucking custom, he directed bassist Michael Moore and drummer Bill Goodwin to play as softly as possible and dialed down his own sound to a whisper. Headphones eliminated any auditory obstacles between the players and the resulting dynamic was one of close and detailed listening. Post-recording mixing took care of lingering dynamic discrepancies in the music for an album rich in detail and nuance.

Logistical headaches allayed, Wilkins was free to focus his faculties on playing in a program dominated by popular jazz tunes of the day starting with a lengthy sally through the knotty structures of Chick Corea’s title piece. An unaccompanied preface of ringing chords gives way to a lilting ensemble clip with Moore’s plump, electricity-enhanced strings buttressing the bottom end. Goodwin sticks mainly to cymbal accents as the leader veers between octaves and densely-deployed single notes, a clean sheen of amplification sheathing his patterns in a warm aural glow. Moore’s solo gets a bit muddy, the delicate harmonics lacing his lines blunted by his amp, but there’s no denying his digital dexterity or speed and Goodwin’s press roll-stamped accompaniment restores some crispness. Wilkins’ treatment of John Coltrane’s “Naima” trades usual velocity for a languorous crawl where Wilkins’ wry skill with octaves once again shines.

Moore contributes two pieces to the session with “Canzona” and the set closing “Song of the Last Act” going varying Latin routes. Wilkins’ strings sound almost acoustic on the former, his lively strums joining bells, shakers and brushes from Goodwin as a backdrop to the bassist’s fleet-fingered leads. The leader revives his amp for a solo steeped in samba drive and syncopation while his work on the latter resembles some convincing Spanish guitar. Also on the docket are the modal crowd-pleasers embodied in Wayne Shorter’s “Pinocchio” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay”, each given worthy workouts by the three that express fundamental allegiances while also casually breaking form. Wilkins’ date is definitely carries the trappings of its time, but does so while also avoiding the all too common excesses. The latter is almost certainly a byproduct of the backstory for a studio band forced to think on its collective feet throughout what could’ve been a fraught recording process.

Quite a slick jazz guitar album with a very moody night time vibe! Jack Wilkins' guitar is recorded in such a grainy and echoing way, which gives this feeling of being in an empty, dimly lit room. It's probably best known for the song "Red Clay", which was cleverly sampled by Q-Tip in A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders" (another album with a great night life vibe!) that has a sick bass line and a hypnotic chord progression. The other songs still stand well on their own, such as the lethargic cover of Coltrane's "Naima", contrasting to the fast paced "Canzona". The songs aren't too long or too short and the whole album clocks in at around a half hour, delivering a solid debut for Jack Wilkins.