Howard Wiley Jazz by Intersection at the DeYoung
Photo by Scott ChernisHoward Wiley
HOWARD WILEY has amassed a hefty musical resume for someone of his young age. At the age of 3, Howard Wiley displayed an aptitude for the piano. But it was at age 11 that he took up the saxophone and hasn't put it down since. Wiley's grandfather, Sam Wiley, played saxophone in Count Basie's Orchestra, and gave constant advice to the young musician growing up in Hercules, CA.
Wiley's debut recording, The Businessman (Sax Records, 1995) was produced shortly after his fifteenth birthday, and was produced by Steve Savage and founder of The Stanford Jazz Workshop, Jim Nadel. He has performed at several jazz festivals, including the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the North Beach Jazz Festival, and the Huntington Beach Jazz Festival, and at such prestigious jazz clubs as Yoshi's in Oakland, The Catalina Bar & Grill and B.B. King's Blues Club in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
He received the Thelonious Monk Scholarship, Downbeat Blues/Pop/Rock Instrumentalist award for best soloist, and the MVP award for the Grammy All-American Jazz Band. He was an integral member of local bassist and composer Marcus Shelby's Jazz Orchestra for close to two years. Currently, Wiley is a member of Lavay Smith's Red Hot Skillet Lickers - one of the top swing and jump blues bands in the world. Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers maintain a busy schedule of over 250 performances per year, including extensive touring throughout the U.S. and Canada. They have performed at many prestigious venues including Lincoln Center, the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, and The Santa Barbara Jazz Festival.
Wiley's second recording, Twenty-First Century Negro, was released by High Cotton Productions in 2002. On February 26, 2007, Howard Wiley released his second studio CD entitled, "The Angola Project". This project was crafted with inspiration from African-American spirituals and vocalizations originating from recordings of gospel music and slave chants in the Angola Prison of the 1950's. Howard's interpretations draws upon the call and response technique between a leader and the "congregation", creating a unique musical exploration. "The Angola Project" showcases an impressive pairing of two vocalists (opera and scat), along with two violins, two bass players, saxophone, trombone, trumpet and drums.
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