St. Bernard Picayune, February 6, 2005
Even though he did not set foot on the stage during the production of "The Far Country," musician Pez Wilson was one of the stars of Nunez Community College's recent theatrical production.
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The St. Bernard Voice, February 4, 2005
...The second splendid talent is the composer/musician Pez Wilson. From his mesmerizing guitar music preceding the play to his plaintive songs and piano score, Pez's melodies were never less than beautiful, understated, and poignant. The appreciative audience hardly needed an excuse to applaud Pez's fantastic work.
The Times-Picayune, January 28, 2005
...In fact, the musical underscoring by Pez Wilson, when merged with Walter's lyrical text, often seems on the verge of bursting into song. And when Wilson does sing, it's quite effective.
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"Music breathes life into stage production"
By Barry Lemoine
St. Bernard Picayune
February 6, 2005
Even though he did not set foot on the stage during the production of "The Far Country," musician Pez Wilson was one of the stars of Nunez Community College's recent theatrical production.
Wilson's original score for "The Far Country" was at times poignant, haunting and humorous.
Wilson said he collaborated with the director of the show, Nick Slie, to create the right tone for the piece.
"Nick and I worked closely deciding where music should exist in the play and the various themes," Wilson said. "It was a very easy process for us. Nick is an excellent artist as well as good friend who has a very clear idea of what he's executing. I wrote themes that I then alter throughout the play with a lot of improvisation based on the themes."
Wilson also credits the author of "The Far Country," Alan Walter, for the inspiration of the music, especially the song "A Rose Is Still a Rose" that is referenced throughout the play.
"That old lightening bolt of inspiration was inspired by Alan Walter's excellent work," Wilson said. "Alan gave us a lot of meat to work with. There's a lot to bite into there. Performing the piece has elevated my music, because a great deal of subtlety and nuance is required."
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"Music breathes life into stage production" (continued)
Wilson said he enjoyed both the production and the facilities at Nunez.
"It has been a pleasure playing the nice grand piano and working in that space," he said. "It's a nice hall from an acoustic standpoint. It's perfect timing because I am going into the studio next month" to do a solo piano and voice recording.
It's been quite a circuitous journey for this talented musician and songwriter. Originally from northern California, Wilson started his career playing trumpet in Latin bands. After stints in New York and Austin, Texas, Wilson moved to New Orleans.
Although he said he loves it here, Wilson plans to move to Nashville, Tenn., next year because it affords more professional opportunities. But Wilson said Louisiana will always be a part of him.
"I'll miss the food and the layers upon layers that is Louisiana," he said. "This place is kind of infinite in some way. Alan Walter captures that feeling in a profound way in 'The Far Country.'"
Wilson himself captured the audiences in a profound way with his original music.
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