Kirk Andres Wilson @ Catalina Jazz Club 12/28/17
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Photos By:Mann
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Thursday 12-28-17 was a rare opportunity for me to get in at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood to finally hear the performance of Kirk Andres Wilson, a talented Louisiana native with distinctive smiling eyes and great Baritone voice at time he sounded like Louis Armstrong to Nate King Cole and if I close my eyes I would have sworn that Fats Domino was singing, “I Found My Thrill, On Blueberry Hill.” But he began with his own raw solo rendition of the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on a Yamaha piano. There aren’t enough right words to describe Kirk’s stunning deliverance of this timeless classic. Right from this opening masterpiece, I was floored, his performance is stunning. Kirk followed this soulful classic with another piano solo of “Miss New Orleans.”
Kirk Wilson had captivated the audience with other powerhouse musicians with him that evening. On keyboard was Edell Shepard; saxophone and flute was Louis Van Taylor; bass guitar was Harvey Anikulapo Estrada; drums was Donnell Spencer Jr. and on percussion, Munyungo Jackson.
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Following the introduction of each artists playing their respective instruments, “Moscow Nights” was the evening’s third delivery. This featured a superb percussionist Munyungo Jackson on cajon drums and the grandest tenor saxophonist Louis Van Taylor.
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Kirk’s flawless piano strokes coaxed attention to his rendition of “Lido Island Sunshine,” enhanced by some tenor sax notes. “Time Remembered” highlighted the percussion and piano, succeeded by a sax solo of “Winelight,” a piece taken to new heights by Louis Van Taylor.
“Breezin,” “My One and Only Love” and Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” are exhilarating pieces delivered impeccably this evening with Kirk’s guitar. “Wonderful World” earned Kirk spots on the top ten on Billboards Music Charts.
“My Love” and “Softly Spoken” are two of my most favorite songs in Kirk’s debut CD, My Love.
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Moonlight” and “Starpower” follows as my next picks. These beauties remind me of the legendary music of George Benson and Earl Klugh in many ways.
Catalina Jazz Club is a Supper Club that has fine dining from Quesadilla Appetizers to Blackened Catfish for entrée’s. A full assortment of wines to choose from as well as desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth.
With a great attendance to the nearly sold out show, the audience enjoyed the evening as Kirk’s set ran long but no one was complaining.
To summarize, for the jazz enthusiasts who have not heard of Kirk Andres Wilson and his extraordinarily smooth style, he is definitely someone you do not want to miss. A definite five star.
You can watch Kirk perform at Downtown Disney’s Jazz Kitchen and at Mozambique in Laguna Beach. His music CD My Love is available at Amazon Music and iTunes.
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