Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in 1912. He studied piano and violin at Tuskegee Institute. After working in the Lawrence "Speed" Webb band, with Louis Armstrong and also "understudying" Earl Hines in Hines's Grand Terrace Cafe Orchestra, Wilson joined Benny Carter's Chocolate Dandies in 1933. In 1935 he joined the Benny Goodman Trio (which consisted of Goodman, Wilson and drummer Gene Krupa, later expanded to the Benny Goodman Quartet with the addition of Lionel Hampton). The trio performed during the big band's intermissions. By joining the trio, Wilson became the first black musician to perform in public with a previously all-white jazz group.
Noted jazz producer and writer John Hammond was instrumental in getting Wilson a contract with Brunswick, starting in 1935, to record hot swing arrangements of the popular songs of the day, with the growing jukebox trade in mind. He recorded fifty hit records with various singers such as Lena Horne and Helen Ward, including many of Billie Holiday's greatest successes. During these years he also took part in many highly regarded sessions with a wide range of important swing musicians, such as Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Red Norvo, Buck Clayton and Ben Webster.
Wilson formed his own short-lived big band in 1939, then led a sextet at Café Society from 1940 to 1944. He was dubbed the "Marxist Mozart" by Howard "Stretch" Johnson due to his support for left-wing causes (he performed in benefit concerts for The New Masses journal and for Russian War Relief, and chaired the Artists' Committee to elect Benjamin J. Davis).[1] In the 1950s he taught at the Juilliard School. Wilson can be seen appearing as himself in the motion picture The Benny Goodman Story (1955).
Wilson lived quietly in suburban Hillsdale, NJ in the 1960s and 1970s. He performed as a soloist and with pick-up groups until the final years of his life. Teddy Wilson died on July 31, 1986.
He rests at Fairview Cemetery in New Britain, CT
[edit] Discography
Wilson at a Benny Goodman rehearsal, 1950
* Teddy Wilson Featuring Billie Holiday (1949)
* I Got Rhythm (1956)
* Pres and Teddy (1956)
* With Billie in Mind (1972)
* Live at Santa Tecla (1976)
* Teddy Wilson Trio Revisits the Goodman Years (1980)
As sideman:
* Billie Holiday, The Quintessential Billie Holiday, vols. 1 - 9 (1933-1942)
* Benny Goodman, The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings (1935-1939)
* Benny Goodman, The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (1938)
Died July 31, 1986(1986-07-31) (aged 73)
Hillsdale, New Jersey
Genres Jazz
Associated acts Louis Armstrong
Earl Hines
Billie Holiday
Lester Young
Lena Horne
Benny Goodman
In The Mood
Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not that I considered it a sin
But tonight I want your arms around me
It's the mood that I'm in
Can it be the music that they're playin'
Or the magic of the violin
That intrigues my heart to obeyin'
Maybe it's the cocktail that I'm sippin'
Tonight I'm so romantically inclined
So speak to me of love
In words so tender
Let the rhapsody of life begin
I could give my heart in sweet surrender
It's the mood I'm in
In "The Mood That I'm In," Billie Holiday sings about how she has never dared to have someone's arms around her, but tonight she wants it. She hints that it could be because of the music that's playing or the cocktail that she's sipping, but ultimately it's the mood that she's in that is making her feel romantically inclined. She asks her partner to speak to her of love in tender words, and she is ready to give her heart in sweet surrender.
Line by Line Meaning
Never dared to have your arms around me
I've never been comfortable receiving physical affection from you
Not that I considered it a sin
To be clear, my reluctance to physical affection was never rooted in moral or ethical concerns
But tonight I want your arms around me
However, my desires have shifted, and I am now open to receiving your physical affection
It's the mood that I'm in
My newfound openness stems from a change in emotional state
Can it be the music that they're playin'
I wonder if the music we're hearing is contributing to my emotional state
Or the magic of the violin
Perhaps specifically the sound of the violin is stirring me emotionally, since it has a reputation for being especially emotive
That intrigues my heart to obeyin'
Regardless of the source which caused my newly-opened heart, I am compelled to follow its lead
It's the mood that I'm in
I keep coming back to the idea that my emotions are driving this change in me
Maybe it's the cocktail that I'm sippin'
Alternatively, it's possible that my drink of choice is influencing my mood
Tonight I'm so romantically inclined
Regardless of the specific causes, I'm in a decidedly romantic state of mind
So speak to me of love
In fact, I invite you to engage in romantic discourse with me
In words so tender
But speak of love only in gentle, loving terms
Let the rhapsody of life begin
I'm ready to immerse myself in a symphony of passionately romantic experiences
I could give my heart in sweet surrender
In fact, I'm so swept up in the feeling that I feel I could give myself wholeheartedly to this romantic mood
It's the mood I'm in
Once again, emotional state is presented as the driving force behind my current feelings and actions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: Abner Silver, Al Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@henridelagardere264
This would make a good disc for a blindfold test. Many will identify the pianist and the tenor man, but what big band is playing here?
Fantastic sound and perfect presentation, as always. Arigato!