Nate Wilson, piano and keyboard man for local favorites Percy Hill, is a consummate musician. Wilsons thoughtful yet burning keyboard work and his incisive arranging skills have been heard in the bands of Reid Gennauer and Peter Prince, and on recordings by Aaron Katz and Pondering Judd, among several others. Its no secret that Wilsons playing has exhibited a jazz influence. Wilson has a passion for jazz - a passion that began during his junior high days in Sutton.
This Sunday, Feb. 9, Wilson will bring that passion out in the open as he presents his Senior Recital at the University of New Hampshire.
The free recital, which is being performed as partial fulfillment for his bachelor of arts degree in music performance, takes place at 8 p.m., in the Bratton Recital Hall of the Paul Creative Arts Center, Durham.
I sat down with Wilson recently to talk about his jazz passion, as well as other things musical.

Spotlight: So, what kind of recital will you be giving on Sunday?
Wilson: The recital will be half classical and half jazz.
Spotlight: What kind of groups will you be playing with?
Wilson: For the jazz part, Ill be playing in two different trio settings. One will be the standard, jazz, piano-bass-drums trio, and the other will be an organ trio with guitar and drums. The classical part will be primarily solo, with one piece for flute and piano. The classical pieces includes a set of 12 variations by Beethoven and a couple of preludes by Debussy. The piece with flute will be the Flute Sonata by Poulenc.
Spotlight: Who will be joining you at the recital?
#cc6633Wilson: Ellen Rondina will play flute on the Poulenc Sonata. In the trios, Jeremy Hill will be on bass, and Peter Moutis on drums for the piano trio. Peter will also play in the organ trio, along with guitarist Dave Newsam.
Spotlight: What tunes will you be doing in those groups? Wilson: The tunes were all composed by Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. Well play "Speak No Evil," "Infant Eyes" and "Night Dreamer," by Wayne, and "Dolphin Dance, " "One Finger Snap" and "Driftin," by Herbie.
Spotlight: Itll be interesting to hear some of those tunes in the organ trio. How did you settle on the tunes and the group formats?
Wilson: My original idea was to do a tribute to Wayne Shorter, possibly arranging several of his tunes for a larger ensemble, like an octet. But, as time went by, my schedule became busier than expected, so I opted for groups that were less ambitious. I bought a Hammond B-3 organ last summer, and found that I really dug playing it, so I decided to go with the two trios, doing tunes that were more adventurous harmonically, than what you would normally hear in an organ trio. Herbie and Wayne are such great musicians, and theyve written so many terrific tunes that are challenging, but are also fun to play on. The tunes really lend themselves well to the organ-trio format.
Spotlight: How did you get into jazz?
Wilson: I began listening to jazz in junior high. I had several friends who were horn players, and we used to listen to recordings and jam on tunes - things like that. As I became more involved in music, I became more fascinated by jazz and how it worked, so I continued to study jazz as I went along.
Spotlight: What about the classical side?
Wilson: Well, I studied classical initially, as a beginner, but I never really developed into what you would call a disciplined classical player. Preparing for the classical part of this recital has been a challenge.
Spotlight: How so?
Wilson: The memorization aspect is difficult and time consuming. And then theres the mental aspect. The biggest enemy there is with the nerves and disciplining myself to control them. Fortunately, Ive had some great coaching from Chris and Arlene Kies UNH music-piano faculty). Theyve been very positive and supportive, and have been a great help.
Spotlight: Who have you studied jazz with?
Wilson: Charlie Banacos (Boston-based, free-lance teacher). Charlie has been a big help. He has a really interesting teaching method, where you start with a simple, harmonic pattern and then build and expand, so that by the fifth or sixth lesson, youre dealing with a lot of material that helps your jazz vocabulary to grow and expand.
Spotlight: Like most jazz players, Im sure you have musicians who have influenced you. Would you name some of them?
Wilson: For piano, McCoy Tyner was the first jazz piano player I latched onto. His playing is powerful. Also, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, hard bop players like Red Garland, Wynton Kelly and Tommy Flanagan. Im also into saxophone players like Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane. On organ, Im really into Larry Goldings and one of his influences, Larry Young. I like organ players who stretch beyond the usual jazz/blues thing, though I also enjoy players in that area, like Jack McDuff or Charles Earland. Larry Young was very adventurous, and I feel that Goldings is an extension of that approach. Ive also been listening to a lot of guitarist Grant Greens stuff. His music is so listenable. It wont blow you away in the technical sense, but its very soulful
Spotlight: You actually did a project on Wynton Kelly. What is it about him that fascinated you?
Wilson: Well, I really think that hes an over-looked jazz player who was a big influence on a lot of players. He had such a soulful, bluesey approach that was always in the pocket. There are a lot of solo transcriptions of players like Oscar Peterson, but very few of Wynton Kellys, so, with some grant money, I was able to transcribe several of his solos for further study.
Spotlight: Do you feel that learning to play jazz helps your playing with groups in the pop-music arena?
Wilson: Yeah, it does. Ive been a student of jazz pretty much from the beginning. Knowing how to play jazz made playing rock music that much easier. I dont think that you can really study how to play rock music. The trick is to make sure that whatever you play is appropriate to the music at hand. If youre playing pop music, you cant let the jazz influence show through too much, as it takes away from the original intent of the song. So, you have to keep it appropriate, within the style, adding just enough of your personality to enhance the particular tunes.
Spotlight: So, how do you feel about the recital on Sunday?
Wilson: I feel good. I think Im ready. This recital is sort of a coming out event for me in terms of playing jazz and classical. Ive played some jazz gigs on the side on occasion, but this is pretty much the first time where there is this type of musical focus. The trio stuff sounds great. Playing with musicians like Peter and Dave has been great, because theyre such seasoned players. Working with them has been a good kick in the butt. Jeremy is an old friend, whom Ive enjoyed playing many gigs with, and its always fun to work with him. Really, the preparation for the recital has been a huge, valuable experience.
Spotlight: In an interview you gave to Spotlight on Percy Hill last summer, you mentioned that the group will always be there. Does that still hold true?
Wilson: Definitely. There are no problems with the band at all. Were four musicians who are very busy pursuing individual projects right now. Were working on releasing a live CD from the gigs we did with the expanded band last fall and were looking at putting on some shows later in the spring. So, were still moving forward with the band.
Spotlight: Do you view this upcoming performance as another step in your career?
Wilson: Yeah. Like I said, its been a valuable experience, especially working on the classical stuff. The classical gives it a good foundation.
Spotlight : So, where do you go from here? Whats on the horizon?
Wilson: I dont know. Its hard to figure. Im teaching a lot more these days, which is something that I really enjoy doing. Id like to do more with the organ trio, maybe get it out for some gigs. Id also like to play more jazz gigs in general. There are so many different possibilities, so Im trying to find the right balance of music. One thing Ive learned from the Percy Hill experience is not to put everything into one basket. Right now, my biggest passion is to learn and grow as a jazz player, and to keep looking for new playing experiences.