Matt Wilson Rocks K12 Gallery As Part of Cityfolk Residency

On Saturday, February 27, the K12 Gallery for Young People presented a workshop featuring jazz drummer extraordinaire Matt Wilson and his quartet. While the K12 Gallery Family Art-Making area has been a cornerstone of the Cityfolk Festival, this was the first time the two organizations have collaborated on an event during the season. Wilson--whose penchant for zany, no-holds-barred, fun is matched by his serious chops on the drums--was the ideal musician to head up the activities.

The session started with the young artists creating drawings inspired by the music of the quartet (which included multi-reedist Jeff Lederer, trumpeter Ron Miles and bassist Chris Lightcap). Then one by one, Matt asked the children to hold up their artwork for all to see and the musicians improvised in various combinations, taking their inspiration from the drawings.

Finally the young artists decorated their own percussion instruments and receieved an impromptu primer on the basics of rhythm, joining in to play along with Wilson's quartet.

Special thanks to Jeri Stanard and Kelly Sexton at K-12 and the Morgan Family Foundation for helping make the event a success. You can see more pictures of the event on the K-12 Website.