Simón Willson

Simón Willson (bass) is a Chilean-born, New York City-based bassist, composer, and  impro­­viser. As an eclectic and in-demand side-man, he has toured with a host of different artists in Europe, the United States, Canada, and South America. His wide-ranging interest in different realms of jazz and improvised music has led him to work with a diverse pool of established artists such as Dave Douglas, Ethan Iverson, Steve Cardenas, George Garzone, Jason Palmer, Rodney Green, Michael Blake, Pablo Held, Jim Black, Tim Miller, and Frank Carlberg, among many others. He also plays in bands of contemporaries such as Kevin Sun, Max Light, and Jacob Shul­man. In addition to his sideman work, Willson co-leads the bands Great on Paper, Family Plan, and Earprint. The latter won the “best debut album” category of the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll in 2016, and Family Plan released its debut album in September 2021, after receiving a generous grant from the Chilean government. Willson can be heard on over 25 records for labels such as Tzadik, Steeplechase, Newvelle, and Endectomorph, in addition to a number of self-releases.