Matt Wilson Christmas Tree-O

“This was the most joyful holiday celebration I can remember attending. If there’s a band or album that’s more pure fun than Mr.Wilson’s, I am not even sure I want to know about it.”

-Will Friedwald, NY SUN (2024 show review at Dizzy’s-Jazz at Lincoln Center)

“Wonder and innocence, gaudiness and cheer: can it be any surprise that the jazz drummer Matt Wilson thrives around the holidays?”

“An ambassador of good feeling.”

-Nate Chinen, New York Times

The year 2024 marked the 60th birthday of the beloved drummer, composer, and bandleader Matt Wilson. It also celebrates the 15th anniversary of one of Matt’s acclaimed ensembles, the Christmas Tree- O, featuring multi-reed legend Jeff Lederer and revered bassist Paul Sikivie.

The band performed their first concert on December 9, 2009, in Brooklyn, NY. They then recorded their seminal album, Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O, at Maggie’s Farm studio on a snowy May day in 2010. The album was released in the fall of 2010 by Palmetto Records.

Since then, the band has performed extensively across the United States and Canada. Their annual sold-out engagements at the Jazz Standard (now held at Dizzy’s) have become a New York City holiday tradition. The band has featured a range of music legends as guests, including Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Joe Lovano, Kurt Elling, Aaron Diehl, Christian McBride, Marshall Allen, Esperanza Spaulding, Nels Cline, Camilla Meza, and Cecile McLorin Salvant.

In June 2024, the trio traveled through icy highways to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to record their second album, Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come. A week later, after the thaw, they welcomed the Treedom Singers—Mary LaRose, Audrey Wilson, and Gregory Rodriguez—to add their vocal magic to the recording.