As a recording artist Willie is hired as a featured soloist and accompanist as well as an ensemble musician in a variety of genres. He has been recorded on soprano, alto, tenor and bari saxophones for established groups and songwriting projects. He has worked with engineers such as Larry Crane (Jackpot Recording), Bob Stark (Kung Fu Bakery), Billy Barnett (Gung Ho Studio), Jeff Stuart Saltzman, and Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Bill Laswell). His discography includes:
- Winter Awhile, Robert Hicks (soloist & ensemble)
- The Right Time, Dancing Dimensions, Ural Thomas and the Pain (soloist & ensemble)
- Fatherland, Kele Okereke
- Someday Dreams Of You, Jump With Johnny, Johnny Boyd (soloist & ensemble)
- White Teeth, Black Thoughts, Please Return The Evening, The Boop-a-Doo, Bigger Life, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies (soloist & ensemble)
- Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerator, Gunga Galunga (soloist & ensemble)
- Outta My Soul, Robert Moore (soloist & ensemble)
- The Bylines, The Bylines Live, The Bylines (soloist & ensemble)
- 82% Chance Of Rain, Ottis Stomp,Andrew Oliver Sextet (soloist & ensemble)
In addition to his notoriety as an instrumentalist, Willie is an accomplished arranger, composer, chart stenographer. He’s been hired to write arrangements for recording sessions by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Johnny Boyd (Indigo Swing) and others. His experience includes composing original horn arrangements for recording projects, full ensemble adaptations and reductions of recordings, contracting and coordinating musicians as necessary. Willie’s arrangements have been mainstays in the Daddies set lists for the past 7 years. His work can be heard on such albums as:
- Please Return The Evening, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies; The Best is Yet To Come, Ain’t That A Kick In The Head
- The Boop-a-Doo, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies; Lindy Hop, Kickin’ The Gong Around
- Cherry Poppin’ Daddies (to be released 2023), Havin’ A Blast (Since I Saw You Last), Take It Off Stella, Shooting Bullets At A Bell,
Hey Goombah - Dancing Dimensions (co-writer horns), Ural Thomas and the Pain; Do You Remember The Times We Had, Hung Up On My Dream
- Someday Dreams Of You, Johnny Boyd; Where The Real Love Grows
- Jump With Johnny (to be released), Johnny Boyd; Get Back
- Dos Hermanos (to be released), Johnny Boyd; Casanova, Come A Little Bit Closer, Dancing Queen, High On You, The look Of Love, Nights On Broadway
His recorded compositions have received press and have been described as introspective (Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide); “Starbird” and “Portrait in Tears” are compelling and dark vignettes (Andrew Oliver, PJCE Records); Matheis’s languid “I Am Yours” utilizes space and melody (Kyle O’Brien, Oregon Jazz Scene). His original compositions have been recorded on:
- Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerator, Gunga Galunga; Starbird, Portrait In Tears
- 82% Chance Of Rain, Andrew Oliver Sextet; I Am Yours
