Wilder was awarded the Temple University Jazz Master's Hall of Fame Award in 2006. The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award for 2008.
Wilder was born into a musical family led by his father Curtis, a bassist and bandleader in Philadelphia. Wilder's first performances took place on the radio program, "Parisian Tailor's Colored Kiddies of the Air." He and the other young musicians were backed up by such illustrious bands as Duke Ellington's and Louis Armstrong's that were also then playing at the Lincoln Theater. Wilder studied at the Mastbaum School of Music in Philadelphia, but turned to jazz when he felt that there was little future for an African American classical musician. At age 19, Wilder joined his first touring big band, Les Hite's band.
Wilder was one of the first thousand African Americans to serve in the Marines during World War II. He worked first in Special Weapons and eventually became Assistant Bandmaster at the headquarters' band. Following the war during the 1940's and early 1950's, he played in the orchestras of Jimmie Lunceford, Herbie Fields, Sam Donahue, Lucky Millinder, Noble Sissle, Dizzy Gillespie, and finally with the Count Basie Orchestra. From 1957 to 1974, Wilder did studio work for ABC-TV, New York, and in the pit orchestras for Broadway musicals, while building his reputation as a soloist with his albums for Savoy (1956) and Columbia (1959). His Jazz from Peter Gunn (1959), features ten songs from Henry Mancini ("Peter Gunn") television score in melodic and swinging fashion with a quartet. He was also a regular sideman with such musicians as NEA Jazz Masters Hank Jones, Gil Evans, and Benny Goodman. He became a favorite with vocalists and played for Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Johnny Mathis, Harry Belafonte, Eileen Farrell, Tony Bennett, and many others. Wilder earned a bachelor of music degree in 1953, studying classical trumpet at the Manhattan School of Music with Joseph Alessi, where he was also principal trumpet with the school's symphony orchestra under conductor Jonel Perlea. In the 1960s, he performed on several occasions with the New York Philharmonic under Andre Kostelanetz and Pierre Boulez and played lead for the Symphony Of The New World from 1965 to 1971.
He appeared on The Cosby Show episode "Play It Again, Russell" (1986), and played the trumpet in the Malcolm X Orchestra in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" (1992). Since 1991 he returned as a leader and recorded three albums for Evening Star. He died on May 9, 2014 in New York City, of congestive heart failure.
Discography
As leader
1956 Wilder N' Wilder Jazz Savoy
1956 Softly With Feeling Jazz Savoy
1959 The Pretty Sound of Joe Wilder Jazz Columbia
1959 Jazz from "Peter Gunn" Jazz Columbia
1991 Alone With Just My Dreams Jazz Evening Star
1993 No Greater Love Jazz Evening Star
2003 Among Friends Jazz Evening Star
As sideman
With Trigger Alpert
Trigger Happy! (Riverside, 1956)
With Gil Evans
Into the Hot (Impulse!, 1961)
With Dizzy Gillespie
Gillespiana (Verve, 1960)
With Tadd Dameron
The Magic Touch (1962)
With Etta Jones
From the Heart (Prestige, 1962)
With Yusef Lateef
10 Years Hence (Atlantic, 1974)
The Doctor is In... and Out (Atlantic, 1976)
With Mundell Lowe
New Music of Alec Wilder (Riverside, 1956)
With Oliver Nelson
The Spirit of '67 with Pee Wee Russell (Impulse!, 1967)
With Houston Person
Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (Prestige, 1972)
With Shirley Scott
Great Scott!! (Impulse!, 1964)
With Sonny Stitt
What's New!!! (Roulette, 1966)
With others
Joe Newman: Hangin´ Out (Concord, 1984)
Benny Carter: A Gentleman and His Music (Concord, 1985)
Ruby Braff: Being With You (Arbirs, 1996)
Charlie Byrd: For Louis' (Concord, 1996)
Jay Jay Johnson: The Brass Orchestra (Verve, 1996)
The Heath Brothers: Jazz Family (Concord, 1998)
Far Away Places
Joe Wilder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Far away over the sea
Those far away places with the strange sounding names are
Calling
Calling me
Goin' to China or maybe Siam
I wanna see for myself
Those far away places I've been reading about in a
I start getting' restless whenever I hear the whistle of a train
I pray for the day I can get underway
And look for those castles in Spain
They call me a dreamer
Well maybe I am
But I know that I'm burning to see those
Far away places with the strange sounding names
Calling, calling me
Me
The lyrics of Far Away Places by Joe Wilder evoke a sense of wanderlust and yearning to explore the mysteries of the world. The opening phrase sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the repetition of "far away places" emphasizing the desire to see new and exotic locations. The use of the word "strange" to describe the names of these places implies a fascination with the unknown and a thirst for adventure.
The chorus, with its repeating refrain of "calling me," speaks to the pull of these far-off destinations, as if they are beckoning the singer to come and discover their secrets. The lyrics then detail a few specific locations that the singer is eager to visit, including China and Siam. The mention of a book on a shelf adds a literary dimension to the song, as if the singer has been inspired by tales of distant lands and cultures.
Line by Line Meaning
Far away places with strange sounding names
There are far-off locations with unique and unknown titles.
Far away over the sea
These locations are situated on the other side of the ocean.
Those far away places with the strange sounding names are Calling
The allure of these places is irresistible and beckons incessantly.
Calling me
I feel drawn to explore these exotic locations.
Goin' to China or maybe Siam
I'm considering traveling to China, or perhaps Siam.
I wanna see for myself
I desire to witness these places with my own eyes.
Those far away places I've been reading about in a Book that I took from a shelf
I've been reading about these far-off locales in a book that I borrowed from a shelf.
I start getting' restless whenever I hear the whistle of a train
My excitement grows whenever I hear a train whistle, anticipating my potential travels.
I pray for the day I can get underway
I anxiously hope for the day when I can start this journey.
And look for those castles in Spain
I search for the treasures and wonders of Spain, metaphorically represented by castles.
They call me a dreamer
Others may criticize me as unrealistic or impractical due to my aspirations.
Well maybe I am
I recognize that my dreams may seem far-fetched, but I am undeterred.
But I know that I'm burning to see those Far away places with the strange sounding names
Despite potential naysayers, I am driven by an intense desire to explore these mysterious and distant locales.
Calling, calling me
Their appeal is strong and persistent, compelling me to answer their call.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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