Showing posts with label Leo Wright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leo Wright. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Leo Wright - Suddenly The Blues

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:06
Size: 78.1 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1962/2006
Art: Front

[2:36] 1. A Felicidad (Happiness)
[2:44] 2. Greensleeves
[4:10] 3. Gensel's Message
[2:54] 4. The Wiggler
[4:42] 5. Tali
[3:07] 6. Dionysos
[4:24] 7. Sassy Lady
[4:22] 8. Willow Weep For Me
[5:04] 9. Suddenly The Blues

Leo Wright (saxophone), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Ron Carter (bass), Rudy Collins (drums),

Leo Nash Wright was born on December 14, 1933 in Wichita Falls, Texas. He took up the saxophone in the early 1940s under the tutelage of his father Mel, who taught him, “Don’t forget what came before.” He was influenced early on by blues greats Louis Jordan and fellow Texan Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. As Wright told one reporter, “People in the South know the blues.” His first alto idol, however, was Johnny Hodges whom Wright called the “father of the alto saxophone.” It was also inevitable that a young altoist in the fifties would fall under the spell of Charlie Parker. “Whatever Bird was doing, in all his music,” Wright said of his predecessor, “he retained the idea of the blues.” Wright could never have imagined that just a few years out of college he would play Bird’s former role as the foil to Dizzy Gillespie.

Drafted into the army in 1956, Wright began what would eventually be a long relationship with Europe. While stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, he played in a variety of bands that included Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton, Don Ellis, and Houston Person—young musicians, like Wright, ready to break onto the American jazz scene when they returned.

After a brief stint with Charles Mingus, which included an appearance at the 1959 Newport Festival, Wright joined company with Dizzy Gillespie, in whose band he would play for the next three years. Whatever he might have learned in college, Wright attended finishing school during his three years with Diz. “Dizzy is a giant,” Wright said at the time. “And when you’re working with the giants, you’ve got to improve. . . . You’ve got to learn discipline, get down to business. I’m still in school.” It was at the University of Dizzy that Wright’s playing gained its full range. The expanding world musical consciousness of his leader and their globe spanning travels added to Wright’s bop and blues vocabulary the musical idioms of Latin America, the Near East, and Africa.

Suddenly The Blues mc
Suddenly The Blues zippy

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Leo Wright - Blues Shout

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:34
Size: 92.9 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1960/2006
Art: Front

[3:26] 1. Sigi
[5:13] 2. Angel Eyes
[3:49] 3. Autumn Leaves
[7:05] 4. Indian Summer
[5:02] 5. Blues Shout
[5:26] 6. A Night In Tunisia
[4:42] 7. The Wind
[5:48] 8. Two Moods

Leo Wright's Atlantic debut, Blues Shout, effectively summarizes his career as a sideman, embracing the expressionist sensibilities of longtime boss Dizzy Gillespie as well as the Latin inspirations of longtime bandmate Lalo Schifrin to create a fiercely modern and uncommonly impassioned sound all its own. Joined by pianist Junior Mance, trumpeter Richard Williams, bassist Art Davis, and drummer Charlie Persip, Wright divides his attention between his signature alto sax and flute, delivering a series of thoughtful and lyrical solos that positively radiate energy. The blues referenced in the title are more a feeling than a sound, underscoring the emotional intensity that bristles below the surface of every note. ~Jason Ankeny

Blues Shout mc
Blues Shout zippy

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Jack McDuff - The Prestige Years (Remastered)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:40
Size: 180.1 MB
Styles: Soul jazz
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[8:13] 1. The Honeydripper
[2:59] 2. Brother Jack
[4:49] 3. Sanctified Waltz
[8:55] 4. Yeah, Baby
[5:00] 5. Mellow Gravy
[6:01] 6. He's A Real Gone Guy
[6:22] 7. Candy
[7:00] 8. Tough 'Duff
[2:23] 9. Grease Monkey
[6:46] 10. Jive Samba
[2:59] 11. Organ Grinder's Swing
[7:18] 12. Screamin'
[2:56] 13. Hot Barbeque
[6:54] 14. Opus De Funk

Alto Saxophone – Leo Wright; Bass – Wendell Marshall; Drums – Bill Elliot, Joe Dukes; Guitar – Bill Jennings, Eddie Diehl, George Benson, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell; Organ – Brother Jack McDuff; Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons, Harold Vick, Jimmy Forrest, Red Holloway; Vibraphone – Lem Winchester.

The history of jazz is full of great musicians who died tragically young; Clifford Brown, Bix Beiderbecke, Eric Dolphy, Fats Navarro, Charlie Christian, Booker Little, and the seminal Charlie Parker were among the many legendary improvisers who died in their twenties or thirties. But when Jack McDuff passed away on January 23, 2001, at the age of 74, his fans could take some comfort in knowing that he had lived a long and productive life. The soul-jazz/hard bop organist left behind a huge catalog, which is why best-of releases like The Prestige Years and The Best of the Concord Years are sorely needed. While the latter is devoted to McDuff's Concord Jazz recordings of the '90s and early 2000s, this 79-minute CD focuses on his Prestige output of 1960-1965. Although McDuff only spent a fraction of his career at Prestige and was still keeping busy 35 years after leaving the label, Prestige was the company that put him on the map as a recording artist -- and most soul-jazz enthusiasts would agree that he recorded some of his most essential work there. The Prestige Years bears that out; "Rock Candy," "Yeah, Baby," and McDuff's 1960 version of Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" are required listening for anyone with even a casual interest in gritty, down-home organ combos. The list of musicians who join McDuff on these recordings reads like a who's who of '60s soul-jazz; Gene Ammons, George Benson, Red Holloway, Jimmy Forrest, and Grant Green are among the major names appearing in the credits. The Prestige Years is far from the last word on McDuff's long recording career -- for that matter, it's far from the last word on his Prestige output. But if one is seeking an introductory overview of McDuff's five years at that label, The Prestige Years wouldn't be a bad investment at all. ~Alex Henderson

The Prestige Years (Remastered)

Monday, December 12, 2016

Red Garland - I Left My Heart...

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:09
Size: 87.3 MB
Styles: Bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1999/2003
Art: Front

[5:48] 1. Will You Still Be Mine
[6:09] 2. Please Send Me Someone To Love
[6:26] 3. Bye Bye Blackbird
[5:52] 4. Body And Soul
[8:22] 5. Bags' Groove
[5:29] 6. I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Alto Saxophone – Leo Wright; Bass – Chris Amberger; Drums – Eddie Moore; Piano – Red Garland. Recorded live at Keystone Korner, San Francisco, May 1978; originally released on Muse 5311.

Recorded during pianist Red Garland's final period, this enjoyable outing (a Muse LP) has three trio numbers by Garland with bassist Chris Amberger and drummer Eddie Moore plus three selections that add altoist Leo Wright to make the group a quartet. Garland's style was unchanged from the '50s, as he shows on "Will You Still Be Mine" and "Bye Bye Blackbird." Wright's portion of the date finds him playing lyrically on two ballads (including a surprise version of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco") and swinging on "Bag's Groove." The set was recorded live at San Francisco's Keystone Korner and was clearly a happy occasion. ~Scott Yanow

I Left My Heart...

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Richard Williams & Leo Wright Quintets - New Horn In Town + Blues Shout

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:07
Size: 142.2 MB
Styles: Trumpet jazz, Saxophone jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[6:16] 1. I Can Dream Can't I
[6:25] 2. I Remember Clifford
[4:58] 3. Ferris Wheel
[4:45] 4. Roucous Notes
[4:37] 5. Blues In Quandary
[8:43] 6. Over The Rainbow
[5:27] 7. Renita's Bounce
[5:00] 8. Blues Shout
[5:22] 9. A Night In Tunisia
[4:40] 10. The Wind
[5:51] 11. Two Moods

Tracks #1-7 are from the album “New Horn in Town” (Candid Stereo 9003). Recorded at Nola Penthouse Sound Studio, New York City, on November 19, 1960: Richard Williams, trumpet; Leo Wright, alto sax, flute, Richard Wyands, piano; Reggie Workman, bass; Bobby Thomas, drums.

Tracks #8-11 are taken from the album “Blues Shout” (Atlantic SD1358). Recorded in New York City, on May 25, 1960. Richard Williams, trumpet; Leo Wright, alto sax, Junior Mance, piano; Art Davis, bass; and Charlie Persip, drums. Gigi Gryce, arranger.

This CD features the leader recording premieres of trumpeter Richard Williams and reedman Leo Wright, whose emergence created quite a stir on the late Fifties jazz scene. Both played on each other’s debuts. Williams, whose power, range and ideas had impressed hugely with the Oliver Nelson and Gigi Gryce groups, made his expected appearance as leader with “New Horn in Town”, while Wright, whose direct, exciting alto and flute were showcased when he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s quintet in 1959, debuted with “Blues Shout”. Both were made in 1960 and fulfilled expectations of two rising young talents.

In these quintet sessions Williams displays his capacity for explosive and inventive playing, with the scope, sweep, conception, technique and the versatility of an assured young lion. Wright’s excellence is also self-evident, regardless of instrument; his style is straight-ahead, warm and emotional, uncluttered and flowing. To complete the success of these debut sessions, both rhythm sections provide vigorous, swinging support, with pianists Richard Wyands and Junior Mance adding further solo voices idiomatically on the button.

New Horn In Town + Blues Shout