Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Career  





2 Discography  



2.1  As leader  





2.2  As sideman  







3 References  





4 External links  














Eugene Wright






العربية
Čeština
Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Magyar
مصرى
Nederlands
Plattdüütsch
Simple English
Suomi
Svenska

 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikimedia Commons
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Eugene Wright
Wright in 1962
Wright in 1962
Background information
Birth nameEugene Joseph Wright
Born(1923-05-29)May 29, 1923
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 30, 2020(2020-12-30) (aged 97)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Double bass
Years active1958–2020
LabelsColumbia
Formerly ofThe Dave Brubeck Quartet

Eugene Joseph Wright (May 29, 1923 – December 30, 2020)[1][2] was an American jazz bassist who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Career[edit]

Wright (at left with bass) performing with the Dave Brubeck QuartetinWest Germany, 1967.

Wright was born in Chicago, Illinois.[3] He 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] Walter Page was Wright's idol.[1]

He became more successful at the peak of the swing era, with bandleaders including Count Basie and Erroll Garner. Playing with Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker, after the swing era ended, he demonstrated his versatility in bebop with such musicians as Sonny Stitt as well as in Latin jazz with Cal Tjader.[4]

He also played with Lonnie Simmons, Gene Ammons, 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.[5]

Wright's highest profile association was with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which he joined in 1958. He remained with Brubeck until 1968, as part of the classic line-up with Paul Desmond and Joe Morello, and featured in the quartet's 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]

In 1962, 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][6]

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.[5]

He became known as "The Senator" or "Senator Eugene Wright" among jazz musicians.[7][5] Known for nimble soloing as well as providing rhythmic backing,[4] he worked with many other musicians including Buddy Collette, Vince Guaraldi, Kenny Drew, Gerald Wiggins, Kai Winding, Dottie Dodgion, Jerry 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] He died at an assisted living facility in Los Angeles on December 30, 2020, at the age of 97.[1]

Discography[edit]

As leader[edit]

As sideman[edit]

With Gene Ammons

With Dave Brubeck

With Buddy Collette

With Buddy DeFranco

With Paul Desmond

With Kenny Drew

With Sonny Stitt

With Cal Tjader

With Gerald Wiggins

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Sandomir, Richard (January 8, 2021). "Eugene Wright, Longtime Brubeck Quartet Bassist, Dies at 97". The New York Times.
  • ^ a b c Chinen, Nate (December 31, 2020). "Eugene Wright, Steadfast Bassist and Longtime Anchor of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dies at 97". www.wbgo.org.
  • ^ Hall, F. (1996). It's about Time: Dave Brubeck (p). University of Arkansas Press. p. 85. ISBN 9781610752107. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  • ^ a b c d e Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (January 1, 2021). "Eugene Wright, bassist with classic Dave Brubeck Quartet, dies aged 97". The Guardian. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  • ^ a b c "Eugene Wright". All About Jazz. June 7, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  • ^ "Dave Brubeck's Southern Strategy". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. March 21, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  • ^ "Renowned Jazz Bassist "Senator" Eugene Wright Visits UOP and Brubeck Institute". Brubeck Institute. October 21, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  • ^ "Eugene Wright - The Wright Groove". Discogs. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  • ^ "The Wright Groove - Eugene Wright | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via www.allmusic.com.
  • External links[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eugene_Wright&oldid=1216667585"

    Categories: 
    1923 births
    2020 deaths
    20th-century American double-bassists
    20th-century American male musicians
    21st-century American double-bassists
    21st-century American male musicians
    Dave Brubeck Quartet members
    African-American jazz musicians
    American male jazz musicians
    American jazz double-bassists
    American male double-bassists
    20th-century African-American musicians
    21st-century African-American musicians
    Hidden categories: 
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Use mdy dates from March 2024
    Use American English from March 2024
    All Wikipedia articles written in American English
    Articles with hCards
    Articles with ISNI identifiers
    Articles with VIAF identifiers
    Articles with WorldCat Entities identifiers
    Articles with BNE identifiers
    Articles with BNF identifiers
    Articles with BNFdata identifiers
    Articles with GND identifiers
    Articles with ICCU identifiers
    Articles with J9U identifiers
    Articles with LCCN identifiers
    Articles with NKC identifiers
    Articles with PLWABN identifiers
    Articles with MusicBrainz identifiers
    Articles with SNAC-ID identifiers
    Articles with SUDOC identifiers
     



    This page was last edited on 1 April 2024, at 09:53 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki