In the 1950s, DeFranco performed with Parker, Gillespie and other bebop legends. He formed his own quartet with drummer Art Blakey, pianist Kenny Drew and bassist Eugene Wright, and toured Europe with Holiday in 1954. Jazz at the Philharmonic producer Norman Granz paired DeFranco with pianists Art T
Date: Dec 26, 2014
Category: Entertainment
Source: Google
Buddy DeFranco: The Clarinetist Who Swung To Bebop
The 1950s were a prolific time for Buddy. He formed his own quartet with drummer Art Blakey, pianist Kenny Drew and bassist Eugene Wright. In 1954, he embraced the opportunity to play a European tour with the spectacular Billie Holiday.
The most emotional moment came when bassist Eugene Wright, who turns 90 this month and is the last surviving member of the classic Brubeck quartet with alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and drummer Joe Morello took the stage. Host Mark Ruffin of Sirius XM recalled the dignity displayed by the African-
With time-bending sax and shape-shifting drums, the bass player had better be strong, and Eugene Wright is that rock. His playing has been described as Kansas City, which, to my ears, in the context of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, means solid and fluid at the same time. Its steady but always singingy be the most thankless of songs for a bassist, since hes little more than a metronome on this chart, recycling all of three notes. But listen closely. Hes not just keeping the beat, hes handing it on. Even in Take Five youll hear Eugene Wrights unbearable lightness of time.
"He challenged racial barriers by hiring the African-American bassist Eugene Wright as part of his quartet in 1958 and proceeding to tour the South, a region of the country that did not welcome mixed-race bands," writes Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune. "Brubeck and his wife, Iola, in the 1960s c
ith the right players, it could be a spur pushing the performer toward new territory. Its also true that, despite Brubecks individual genius, his music took flight because of rock-solid bassists like Eugene Wright and Jack Six and masterful drummers like Joe Morello and Alan Dawson. (Take Five,
Date: Dec 06, 2012
Category: Entertainment
Source: Google
Dave Brubeck spanned history of Monterey Jazz Festival
thought Duke Ellington deserved the honor and believed he only made the cover because he was white. Brubeck was an early champion of racial equality. He hired black bassist Eugene Wright and canceled concerts and television appearances when promoters and producers balked at hiring an integrated band.
Best known for his work with his classic Dave Brubeck Quartet that included longtime musical partner Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums, Brubeck's innovative ideas generated an enthusiastic response from a new audience of young listeners as well as the p