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Eugene Wright

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For other uses, see Eugene Wright (disambiguation).

Eugene Joseph Wright (May 29, 1923 – December 30, 2020)[2] was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Eugene Wright
Wright (at left with bass) performing with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, 1967
Wright (at left with bass) performing with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, 1967
Background information
Birth nameEugene Joseph Wright
Born(1923-05-29)May 29, 1923
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[1]
DiedDecember 30, 2020 (aged 97)
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDouble bass
Years active1943–2020
LabelsColumbia

Career

Wright was a cornetist at high school and led the 16-piece band Dukes of Swing in his 20s. He was largely self-taught on bass until his early 30s, when he studied privately with Paul Gregory and others.[2]

He played with Lonnie Simmons, Gene Ammons, Count Basie and Arnett Cobb in the late '40s and early '50s, then worked with Buddy DeFranco from 1952 to 1955, touring Europe with him. He played in the Red Norvo trio in 1955 and toured Australia with them. He was featured in a film short with Charlie Barnet. [3]

Wright's most notable work was with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which he joined in 1958. He remained with Brubeck until 1968, as part the classic line-up with Paul Desmond and Joe Morello, featured in Brubeck's notable standards "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk". He recorded more than 30 albums with the group. Brubeck himself wrote that Wright "grounded the group", allowing them "to play other tempos and do polyrhythmic things and he wouldn’t budge from this grounded beat".[4]

He performed in Dave and Iola Brubeck's jazz musical The Real Ambassadors, which featured vocals by Louis Armstrong and Carmen McRae; the work explored, through satire, the role of musicians as cultural ambassadors during the Cold War, and the racism Black jazz musicians often endured. When Wright joined the group, concert promoters would not allow a Black musician alongside the rest of the white quartet, but Brubeck would refuse to perform without him.[4]

After leaving Brubeck, Wright led his own ensemble on a tour of Black colleges in 1969 and 1970, then played with Monty Alexander's trio from 1971 to 1974.[3]

He became known as "The Senator" or "Senator Eugene Wright" among jazz musicians.[5][3] Known for nimble soloing as well as providing rhythmic backing,[4] he worked with many notable musicians including Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Buddy Collette, Cal Tjader, Vince Guaraldi, Kenny Drew, Gerald Wiggins, Erroll Garner, Kai Winding, Sonny Stitt, Dottie Dodgion, Lee Shaw, and Dorothy Donegan.[2]

In his later life, Wright headed the jazz department at the University of Cincinnati and the International Society of Bassists. He was the last surviving member of the classic Dave Brubeck Quartet line-up.[4]

Discography

With Monty Alexander

  • Here Comes the Sun (MPS/BASF, 1972)
  • We've Only Just Begun (BASF 1972)
  • Perception! (MPS/BASF, 1974)

With Gene Ammons

With Dave Brubeck

With Buddy Collette

With Buddy DeFranco

  • The Artistry of Buddy DeFranco (Norgran, 1954)
  • Pretty Moods (Norgran, 1954)
  • Takes You to the Stars (GNP, 1954)
  • In a Mellow Mood (Norgran, 1956)
  • Jazz Tones (Norgran, 1956)
  • Sweet and Lovely (Verve, 1956)
  • Cooking the Blues (Verve, 1958)

With Paul Desmond

With Kenny Drew

With Sonny Stitt

With Cal Tjader

  • Tjader Plays Tjazz (Fantasy, 1956)
  • Cal Tjader Quartet (Fantasy, 1956)
  • The Cal Tjader Quintet Live at Club Macumba San Francisco 1956 (Acrobat Music, 2012)
  • Jazz at the Blackhawk (Fantasy 1957)
  • Cal Tjader (Fantasy, 1957)
  • Mas Ritmo Caliente (Fantasy, 1957)
  • Cal Tjader Goes Latin (Fantasy 1959)

With Gerald Wiggins

  • The King and I (Challenge, 1957)
  • The Loveliness of You (Tampa, 1958)
  • Music from Around the World in 80 Days in Modern Jazz (London American, 1958)

References

  1. ^ Hall, F. (1996). It's about Time: Dave Brubeck (p). University of Arkansas Press. p. 85. ISBN 9781610752107. Retrieved 2015-11-20.
  2. ^ a b c Chinen, Nate. "Eugene Wright, Steadfast Bassist and Longtime Anchor of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dies at 97". www.wbgo.org.
  3. ^ a b c "Eugene Wright". All About Jazz. June 7, 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (January 1, 2021). "Eugene Wright, bassist with classic Dave Brubeck Quartet, dies aged 97". The Guardian. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "Renowned Jazz Bassist "Senator" Eugene Wright Visits UOP and Brubeck Institute". Brubeck Institute. October 21, 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2020.


 

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