Eugene Wright
| Eugene Wright | |
|---|---|
|
Wright (at left with upright bass) performing with The Dave Brubeck Quartet, 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eugene Joseph Wright |
| Also known as | The Senator |
| Born |
May 29, 1923 Chicago, Illinois[1][2] |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Bassist |
| Instruments | Double bass |
| Years active | 1943–present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | The Dave Brubeck Quartet |
Eugene Joseph Wright (born May 29, 1923), nicknamed The Senator, is an American jazz bassist, best known for his work as a member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, in particular on the group's most famous album, Time Out (1959), with pianist Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond.
Wright had played with the Lonnie Simmons group, and led his own band, the Dukes of Swing, but his big break came when he was recruited by Dave Brubeck. He had a very solid, Kansas-city style, theoretically at odds with, but in practice an important component of, Brubeck's cool, mannered jazz.
In addition to Brubeck, Wright has played with many jazz stars, including Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Buddy DeFranco, Cal Tjader, Kai Winding, Karen Hernandez, Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Dottie Dodgion, Lee Shaw, Dorothy Donegan, and Monty Alexander.
Basically Wright is a book of his compositions for bass published by Hansen.
With the death of his bandleader Dave Brubeck on December 5th 2012, Wright is the only living member of the classic quartet.
Discography
Solo: "The Wright Groove" (Philips New Zealand,1962)Bass Solos Over The Years - Written By Eugene Wright With Laurie Lewis, Lew Campbell & Don Branch
With Gene Ammons
- All Star Sessions (Prestige, 1950-55 [1956])
With Dave Brubeck
- Brubeck and Rushing (1960)
- Anything Goes: The Music of Cole Porter (1966)
- Jackpot! (1966 [1968])
With Buddy Collette
- Man of Many Parts (Contemporary, 1956)
- Everybody's Buddy (Challenge, 1957)
With Paul Desmond
- Take Ten (RCA Victor, 1963)
- Bossa Antigua (RCA Victor, 1964)
- Glad To Be Unhappy (RCA Victor, 1964)
- Easy Living (RCA Victor, 1963-65 [1966])
With Kenny Drew
- Kenny Drew and His Progressive Piano (Norgran, 1953–54)
With Sonny Stitt
- Kaleidoscope (Prestige, 1950-51 [1957])
- Stitt's Bits (Prestige, 1950 [1958])
References
- ↑ "the senator gene wright - Google Search". google.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
- ↑ Hall, F. It's about Time: Dave Brubeck (p). University of Arkansas Press. p. 85. ISBN 9781610752107. Retrieved 2015-11-20.