The Dave Wilson Quartet WHEN EVEN GOES EAST

January 21, 2026

THE DAVE WILSON QUARTET

WHEN EVEN GOES EAST

Independent Label

Dave Wilson, tenor & soprano saxophones/composer; Jesse Green, piano; Evan Gregor, bass; Daniel Gonzalez, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: Lenny Castro, percussion.

Currently residing in Lancaster, PA, Dave Wilson began his musical career as a grade school student who played clarinet. He also studied piano for a bit. However, he soon became intrigued by the saxophone. At age fourteen, young Wilson heard Coltrane’s “Live at the Village Vangard” album. Young Wilson was mesmerized. Once on his woodwind path, he never looked back.

Wilson has studied with legends like Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Ralph Lalama and Bill Barron at Wesleyan University.

I was fascinated by the title of Wilson’s album. What does “When Even Goes East” mean, I wondered? His publicist answered me in her one sheet. The album title harkens back to Wilson’s cab driver days in NYC. Most of Manhattan was built on a grid system where the even-numbered streets go East and the odd-numbered streets go west. His album cover is meant to reflect those street maps.

Wilson stays busy touring and playing at jazz festivals and concerts around town. One of his former albums was recorded at a hot spot in Lancaster and titled for that club, “Live From Chris’s Jazz Café.”

On this project, Dave Wilson puts his own spin on pop tunes from the 1960s and 70s. He is a fan of songwriter Jimmy Webb. Consequently, he covers two of Webbs tunes: “Adios” (written for Linda Ronstadt to record) and the very popular “Wichita Lineman” tune. Jesse Green offers the listener a dynamic solo on piano, after Wilson’s breathy and beautiful tenor saxophone solo.

I paid more attention to Wilson’s original compositions. The title tune is well-written with a funky drum beat by Daniel Gonzalez, and with Wilson’s saxophone ‘boog-a-looing’ atop the rhythm section chords. Another favorite of mine was the moody, “Slow Freeze” tune, a minor ballad with Green’s improvisation on piano giving it an other-worldly feel. Just a teeny bit of the standard “Spring is Here” is whispered briefly in his melody. I also found his composition “Intragalactic Sunset” to be soothing, with a lovely melody. I like the way Wilson builds chords to create momentum and interest. Evan Gregor’s bass line pumps the piece up, locking his instrument with the Gonzalez drums to create a strong foundation for Wilson to build upon. Dave Wilson shows off his tenor skills and reminds me of how much he was influenced by John Coltrane.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil