Carl Wilson

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road is a 2021 documentary film about the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson that was directed by Brent Wilson (no relation). It follows Brian and Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine as they drive around Los Angeles and visit locations from Brian's past. The title comes from "Long Promised Road", a song written by Brian's brother Carl Wilson and former band manager Jack Rieley, which figures heavily in the film.
In August 2021, Brent stated that there were tentative plans to release a soundtrack album containing never before released material. The soundtrack was officially announced on November 23 and released by Lakeshore Records on November 26.

Imaginative jazz drummer Matt Wilson continues to draw inspiration from the poetry of Carl Sandburg on Honey and Salt, released in 2017 to mark the 50th anniversary of Sandburg's death. Wilson, like Sandburg, is a native of Knox County, Illinois and for many years has composed music inspired by the poet’s work. On this album Wilson leads a band consisting of vocalist and guitarist Dawn Thomson, cornet player Ron Miles, Jeff Lederer on reeds, harmonium and vocals, and bassist Martin Wind, with guest readings from actor Jack Black and jazz legends such as Carla Bley, Bill Frisell, and John Scofield.

'Carl Saunders, Jazz Trumpet' is a blend of Jazz standards, American songbook standards and originals which could be referred to as future 'New Jazz Standards' featuring the great and legendary Joe Labarbera on drums, the great and legendary bassist Chuck Berghofer and the young, new and brilliant pianist Josh Nelson. Carl Saunders is widely recognized as one of the greatest jazz trumpet players in the world but it often surprises people to find that he is also a prolific composer who has written hundreds of original compositions. Saunders began as a young man in 1961-62 on the road with Stan Kenton.

Skewed heavily–and rightfully–toward the Beach Boys' first seven years, Hawthorne, CA offers up charmingly rough early demos ("Surfin'", "Surfin' USA", "Little Deuce Coupe"), edited session highlights, backing tracks ("Fun, Fun, Fun", "Salt Lake City", "Good Vibrations", "Be with Me", "Sail On Sailor"), spectacular a cappella versions ("Kiss Me Baby", "Can't Wait Too Long", "Add Some"), alternate takes ("The Little Girl I Once Knew" with an a cappella break, "Time to Get Alone", "Break Away") and some modern stereo remixes and edits that add revealing details ("Dance, Dance, Dance", "Heroes and Villains", "Vegetables", "Time to Get Alone"). The crucial latter contributions of Carl and Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine are also showcased on "Let the Wind Blow", "A Time to Live in Dreams" and "Cotton Fields", respectively. The dialogue adds some minor perspective but, as always, it's music that carries the day. Hawthorne, CA is a must for collectors and a concise, insightful introduction to a true American musical institution. –Jerry McCulley

Billed as the 50th album by this 50-year-old singer, Nancy Wilson's "Forbidden Lover" is an attempt to contemporize her sound, with arrangements that recall Luther Vandross and the Earth, Wind & Fire horn section. The title track, a duet with Carl Anderson, seems intended to heat up the R&B charts and, if it did, there would be other tracks to follow. It's reasonable that Columbia Records, which signed Wilson up after her long tenure at Capitol, should try to get a return on its investment. But Wilson the jazz-R&B song stylist gets lost on most of these recordings. "I Was Telling Him About You" is a ballad that lets her get across her personality, and the string-filled closer, Leon Russell's "A Song About You," really gives her room to shine and probably will turn out to be the only keeper on this collection. Pop music performers almost always want to sound contemporary, but this is one singer who would be better off acting her age.

Nancy Wilson was one of the few jazz-based pop singers of the 1960s who was able to navigate that decade's rock & roll-crazed waters and stay on top of the single and album charts. While her natural physical beauty certainly didn't hurt her career, it was probably her honest feel for soul and the blues, as well as jazz, that had her riding high during a time when so many of her peers were being dropped by the major labels or moving to Europe. Lush Life follows Wilson's winning formula of combining jazz and adult pop, but while individual tracks stand out, a heavy Barbra Streisand influence hurts the disc overall.