Jazz at the Arsenal, Featuring Phil Wilson and Berklee Faculty Artists

Phil Wilson, one of the most senior faculty at Berklee and a pillar of its education system, is celebrating his 80th birthday with a concert. The Jazz at the Arsenal Series, hosted by professor John Baboian, features Berklee faculty doing what they do best:  playing and teaching jazz. 

For his birthday concert, Wilson is bringing in a stellar group of his musician friends to join in and help him celebrate. Accompanying him and his trombone will be Christine Fawson on trumpet and voice, John Baboian on guitar, Mark Shilansky on keyboard, Marshall Wood on bass, and Les Harris Jr. on drums.

With 16 recordings (LPs, CDs, etc.), Wilson has led a stellar career as a performing and writing musician, including stints with the Woody Herman Orchestra as one of Woody’s primary soloists from 1962-1965. He was arranger/composer for the Buddy Rich Band in 1967 and has written for great European big bands since 1976. Wilson was nominated for a Grammy Award for his arrangement of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” as recorded by the Buddy Rich Band. The recording became the last big band recording to hit the Billboard Top 40. Wilson had the honor of playing with the great Louis Armstrong at the 1964 Grammy Awards. He received an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee in 2004. This is Wilson's 51st year of teaching at Berklee, where he ran the Rainbow Band (formerly the Dues Band) for 50 years. 

We hope that you’ll come and join us in celebrating Phil Wilson at this great event honoring one of Berklee's master teachers.