Theme for Monterey – The Gerald Wilson Orchestra

After a half century, the music of big band legend Gerald Wilson continues to represent the best that jazz has to offer. Wilson’s latest masterpiece, Theme for Monterey, is an homage to this California coastal town that is home to the world-renowned Monterey Jazz Festival. Commissioned for the Festival’s 40th anniversary, this grand suite (which clocks in at nearly 45 minutes) conjures the sites and spirit of Monterey. Also included are Wilson’s rendition of Gershwin’s Summertime and Parker/Gillespie’s Anthropology, which premiered at the Library of Congress in 1996, in honor of the library’s archiving of Wilson’s life’s work.