Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone, Bass guitar, Keyboard |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Atlantic/WEA, GRP, Peak, Heads Up, Concord, Bright Music |
| Website | geraldalbright |
Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist. He earned Grammys for 24/7 in 2012 and Slam Dunk in 2014 and has been nominated for New Beginnings in 2008 and for Sax for Stax in 2009.[1]
Biography[edit]
Albright began piano lessons at an early age, although he professed no interest in the instrument. His love of music picked up when he was given a saxophone that belonged to his piano teacher.[2] It further reinforced when he attended Locke High School. After high school, he attended the University of Redlands where he was initiated into the Iota Chi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha and received a degree in business management with a minor concentration on music.[3] He switched to bass guitar after he saw Louis Johnson in concert.[2]
After college, Albright worked as a studio musician in the 1980s[4] for Anita Baker, Ray Parker Jr., Olivia Newton-John, and The Temptations. He joined Patrice Rushen, who was forming a band, in which he played saxophone. When the bassist left in the middle of a tour, Albright replaced him and finished the tour playing bass guitar. Around the same time, he began to tour Europe with drummer Alphonse Mouzon. He has also toured with Anita Baker, Phil Collins, Johnny Hallyday, Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, Jeff Lorber, and Teena Marie In addition to appearances at clubs and jazz festivals, he has been part of Jazz Explosion tours on which he played with Will Downing, Jonathan Butler, Chaka Khan, Hugh Masekela, and Rachelle Ferrell.
Albright has appeared in the television programs A Different World, Melrose Place and jazz segments for Black Entertainment Television, as well as piloting a show in Las Vegas with Meshach Taylor of Designing Women. He was one of ten saxophonists to perform at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.[5]
His saxophone work appears in the PlayStation video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night during the theme song "I Am the Wind", which includes keyboardist Jeff Lorber.[6]
Albright himself describes his playing style as being influenced to a large extent by the music which he heard when being a teenager: A mixture of gospel, Motown, Philly International Sound played by the likes of James Cleveland, The Hawkins Singers, James Brown with his band and particularly Maceo Parker.[7]
In September 2021 Gerald Albright received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joseph R. Biden.[2]
Equipment[edit]
Albright plays a signature series model of saxophone made by Cannonball Musical Instruments. Of the two necks that are furnished with the Cannonball saxophones, he usually uses the "Fat Neck" with the octave vent tube on the bottom of the neck, a design similar to some vintage Conn 6M models.[8] Albright also plays bass guitar.
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Just Between Us | Atlantic/Wea |
| 1988 | Bermuda Nights | Atlantic/Wea |
| 1990 | Dream Come True | Atlantic/Wea |
| 1994 | Smooth | Atlantic/Wea |
| 1995 | Giving Myself to You | Atlantic/Wea |
| 1997 | Live to Love | Atlantic/Wea |
| 1998 | Pleasures of the Night with Will Downing | Polygram |
| 2002 | Groovology | GRP |
| 2004 | Kickin' It Up | GRP |
| 2006 | New Beginnings | Peak |
| 2008 | Sax for Stax | Peak |
| 2010 | Pushing the Envelope | Telarc |
| 2012 | 24/7 with Norman Brown | Concord |
| 2013 | Summer Horns / with Dave Koz, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot | Concord |
| 2014 | Slam Dunk[9] | Heads Up |
| 2016 | G | Bright Music |
| 2018 | '30 | Bright Music |
| 2018 | Summer Horns II from A to Z / with Dave Koz, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Aubrey Logan | Concord |
| 2019 | Not So Silent Night | There |
Live albums[edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Live at Birdland West | Atlantic/Wea |
EPs[edit]
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | G-Stream | Bright Music |
| 2022 | G-Stream 2 Turn It Up | Bright Music |
As sideman/guest[edit]
| Year | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Pauline Wilson | Only You | Pony Canyon |
| 1999 | The Phil Collins Big Band | A Hot Night In Paris | Atlantic |
| 2000 | Noel Elmowy | Feelin' Good | Expansion Records |
| 2008 | Gerald Alston | Gerald Alston Sings Sam Cooke | LST CO |
Grammy Awards[edit]
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Albright has received a sum of nine Grammy nominations.[10]
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) | "So Amazing (Single)" | Nominated |
| 1989 | Best R&B Instrumental Performance | "Bermuda Nights" | Nominated |
| 2006 | Best Pop Instrumental Album | "New Beginnings" | Nominated |
| 2008 | Best Pop Instrumental Album | "Sax For Stax" | Nominated |
| 2010 | Best Pop Instrumental Album | "Pushing The Envelope" | Nominated |
| 2012 | Best Pop Instrumental Album | "24/7" | Nominated |
| 2013 | Best Pop Instrumental Album | "Summer Horns" | Nominated |
| 2014 | Best Contemporary Instrumental Album | "Slam Dunk" | Nominated |
| 2023 | Best Improvised Jazz Solo | "Keep Holding On" | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^
"Jazz festival salutes Gerald Albright". Cape Gazette. October 10, 2019. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
He has been nominated for several other Grammys, including in 2008 for New Beginnings and in 2009 for Sax for Stax. Subsequent Grammy nods were earned for 24/7 in 2012 and Slam Dunk in 2014. His latest release, 30, commemorates 30 years since the release of his debut CD, Just Between Us.
- ^ a b c "Castle Rock News Press release on Gerald Albright receiving Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award".
- ^ "San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Interview with Gerald Albright". 26 October 2021.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Gerald Albright". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "JazzinPopCulture Report on the inauguration of Bill Clinton".
- ^ Game Credits for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- ^ "Article on encyclopedia.com about Gerald Albright with quotes from a CBB interview".
- ^ FAQ at GeraldAlbright.com
- ^ Chinen, Nate; Ratliff, Ben (4 August 2014). "New York Times announcing the release of album "Slam Dunk"". The New York Times.
- ^ "Gerald Albright". Grammy.com.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- African-American woodwind musicians
- African-American guitarists
- American jazz bass guitarists
- American jazz keyboardists
- American jazz saxophonists
- American male saxophonists
- Living people
- Smooth jazz saxophonists
- University of Redlands alumni
- GRP Records artists
- African-American jazz musicians
- American male bass guitarists
- American male guitarists
- 20th-century American guitarists
- 21st-century American saxophonists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- 20th-century African-American musicians
- 21st-century African-American musicians
- The Phil Collins Big Band members
- Locke High School alumni