Bassist SIMÓN WILLSON to Release His Debut Album 'GOOD COMPANY'

Chilean-born, New York City-based composer and bassist Simón Willson will release his debut album, Good Company on October 13th. As a featured contributor to such jazz scene stalwarts as Dave Douglas, Ethan Iverson, Jason Palmer and Jonathan Kreisberg, Willson's first effort as a leader is aided by the intact ensemble of pianist Isaac Wilson, saxophonist Jacob Shulman and drummer Jonas Esser. 

“As the album title suggests, I'm surrounded by an honest and talented group of friends who are helping to realize my vision as a bandleader,” Willson said. “Secondly, the title points to the type of music we are creating for the listener. It may challenge, but it also welcomes you. It can be complex, but it is still social music.”

Willson's early musical curiosity began at home in Chile. He heard rock and pop alongside the music of Miles Davis, Bach, Mozart, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk. Picking up the guitar in fifth grade was a natural progression, but Willson soon switched to bass guitar a year later. At age 16, he switched to acoustic bass at the urging of his sister's friend, a local jazz musician. Willson moved to the United States in 2011 to attend New England Conservatory for undergraduate and graduate studies and has resided in New York City since 2017.

“I found a huge diversity of musicians playing various styles at different skill levels in New York,” Willson said. “There is great, top-tier music made by pickup bands, and a lot of my work as a sideman happens in those contexts where the lineup is never permanent. However, as a bandleader, I want to make something that is cohesive and distinguishable with a steady working group. On my first record, I wanted to document the partnership and camaraderie that I have with Isaac, Jacob and Jonas.

“The results speak to the comfort and opportunities that we provide for one another,” Willson said. “I feel good about my responsibility as a guiding force in the music, but in some cases, the band encouraged me to play even freer.”

Perhaps the most moving exposition on Good Company is captured on “My Respects.” Written during the pandemic, the through-composed piece is an elegy for victims of injustice that cries out for help. The many emotions and influences navigated by the quartet make memories on Good Company and distinguish Willson as a go-to bassist/composer on the ever-changing New York music scene.

“Even apart from the music, I want to be here in NYC,” Willson said. “For a few months during the pandemic, I relocated to Baltimore with my partner and her family. I found that I could certainly be happy in another place, but New York has an energy that I am in sync with internally. It doesn't matter where I am, I find myself wanting to be there.”

In addition to leading his quartet, Willson co-leads the bands Family Plan and Earprint with the latter winning Best Debut Album in the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll in 2016. As a bassist Willson is documented on over thirty recordings on labels that include Sony Music, Tzadik, Greenleaf, Steeplechase, Newville and Endectomorph. In November, Willson will tour Germany in support of Good Company. 

Photo by Luke Marantz