Jumpstart!
SSC1830 2026-11-13
Track List
Pinocchio - 5:25
Ballade Noir - 5:20
Cannonblues - 5:50
Litle M - 4:50
Fall - 3:45
Shades of Gray - 4:45
Nefertiti - 6:00
Jumpstart - 5:32
l Fall In Love Too Easily - 6:50
All of you - 4:45
Musicians
Michael Wolff - piano
Christian McBride - bass
Tony Williams - drums
Originally recorded in 1995, Jumpstart saw pianist Michael Wolff triumphantly re-entered the jazz scene after his TV career. Featuring the legendary Tony Williams on drums and Christian McBride on bass, Wolff wanted to create a trio of musicians that reflected both the generation before him (Williams) and the generation after him (McBride). Now available digitally for the first time via Sunnyside Records.
Original Liners:
“What l want to do”, Michael Wolff said recently, “is express myself with the trio in the tradition of Oscar . Peterson, Ahmad Jamal and Bill Evans. Beautiful piano with a swinging rhythm section.”
“When I was with Cal Tjader - l was nineteen - we often followed or preceeded Bil Evans’ trio in clubs; El Matador in San Francisco, Concerts By The Sea in Los Angeles, whatever it was. Bill liked my playing and we became friends.”
“At the time I was too young to get In to the clubs, unless I was playing there. Bill told me “I’m going to practice tonight after the show you can come in, The way you play. pretty soon youll be showing me some stuff.” He left me stand behind him. He was playing so much that l didnt know what he was doing!" But watching his hands affected me greatly."
“Bill Evans wasn't my only in?uence. I listened to all the pianists, anybody original, and I watched any documentary films I could of my favorites to check out their hands. Vladimir Horowitz and Thelonious Monk really influenced my technique. Both of them played with flat ?ngers, which amazed me at the time, since I had been taught to play with curved lingers.”
“This gets us into an esoteric area. A physicist will tell you that it is impossible for a pianist to have a personal style. All that goes on is that a hammer hits a string and falls back. In theory you can't affect the sound. But this Is nonsense, as listening to jazz pianists recorded in the same studio on the same piano will show anyone.”
Listening to Michael Wolff's playing on “Jumpstart!” proves this point. Michael has utilized his influences and gone on to forge his own unmistakable personal style, which includes the exquisite tone now he has.
Michael, who was born in Caifornia but grew up mostly in New Orleans and Memphis, studied music at UCLA and the Manhattan School of Music. He joined Cal Tjader at eighhteen and recorded four albums with him. Then he was a member of Airto Moreira’s group Fingers, and after that the pianist for Sonny Rolllns, Jean-Luc Ponty, the Thad Jones—Mel Lewis Orchestraand the Cannonball Adderley Quintet.
“I especially liked playing with Cannonball,” reminisced Michael. “Becoming an integral part of his band was incredibly influential to my music." Cannonball recognized Michael’s originality immediately.
After one of the first gigs he played with Cannonball’s band. Michael asked the saxophonist if he was playing the right way for the band. Cannonball replied "I've hired you because I love the way you play. Don’t listen to anybody who tries to tell you how to play your piano.”
It was while working for live years as pianist, musical director and arranger For legendary jazz singer Nancy Wilson that Michael met her opening act, a young comedian named Arsenio Hall. When Hall was given his own national television show he hired Mlchael as his musical director. That job lasted five and a half years. This established Michael's name with a national audience.
If Michael wanted a swinging rhythm section he couldn't have done better than the one he has here. Tony Williams is one of the great innovative drummers in the world, and Christian McBride is an astonishingly brilliant bassist, something that was recognized by musicians by the time he was nineteen, which wasn't that long ago. But then Tony Williams was a professional free-lance musician when he was ?fteen and went with Miles Davis when he was seventeen. And Michael was with Cal Tjader at eighteen. This would lead one to believe that extraordinary talents are recognized early.
Except two standard songs—Cole Porter's “All of You” and the 1944 Sammy Cahn-Jule Styne “I Fall in Love to Easily”— all the material in this album was composed by either Wayne Shorter or Michael. “Pinocchio,” “Fall,” and “Nefertitti” are Shorter’s; the remaining five tunes are Michael’s, including “Litle M” dedicated to his son. On this album Michael achieved his goal: beautiful piano with a swinging rhythm section.
This is Michael's second jazz album as a leader. There will be more. ——Gene Lees
