Both a joyous act of communion and a solemn farewell, Beginning of a Memory is a celebration of life, community and family expressed with the virtuosic wit and embracing humor that has made Matt Wilson so beloved in the jazz community as a drummer, composer and human being. Returning to the studio for the first time since his wife Felicia lost her battle with leukemia in June 2014, Wilson convenes the closest members of his extended musical family, including all the members, past and present, of his longest-running ensembles: the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts & Crafts, and Christmas Tree-O. "I made this album to celebrate a community of people and how much their love and support through all of this has meant to me," Wilson says. "It also celebrates her relationship with all these folks, because Felicia had a really special relationship with each and every one of them."