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Eugene Wright

Eugene Wright, was an American jazz bassist, best known for his work as a member of The Dave Brubeck Quartet, in particular on the group's most famous album Time Out (1959), with pianist Brubeck, drummer Joe Morello and saxophonist Paul Desmond.

Wright, nicknamed "The Senator", had played with the Lonnie Simmons group, and led his own band, the Dukes of Swing, but his big break came when he was recruited by Dave Brubeck. He had a very solid, Kansas-city style, theoretically at odds with, but in practice an important component of, Brubeck's cool, mannered jazz.

Best known for his steady, concise contributions to the Dave Brubeck quartet for a decade in the '50s and '60s, Eugene Wright was a dependable, never flamboyant bassist. He was mostly self-taught on bass, but took a few lessons late in his career from Paul Gregory.

Wright studied cornet in high school. He led a 16-piece band, The Dukes of Swing, in the mid and late '40s. Wright played with 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 it. Wright was featured in a film short with Charlie Barnet, then joined Brubeck in 1958 and remained until 1968. He 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.

Wright worked in television studios and did film soundtrack work as well as play in clubs during the '70s. He also did private teaching, and became head of the advisory board in the jazz division of the International Society of Bassists, and head of the University of Cincinnati's jazz department.

Though he has no sessions of his own as a leader, Wright can be heard on numerous Brubeck CD reissues, as well as on sessions by Paul Desmond.

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7
Album Review

The Dave Brubeck Quartet: The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Live From The Northwest, 1959

Read "The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Live From The Northwest, 1959" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Like Elemental Music's previously unheard Bill Evans' set, Tales: Live in Copenhagen (1964), The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Live From The Northwest, 1959 may not hold the historical weight of other posthumous Brubeck releases, but it certainly displays the effortless virtuosity and invention the quartet brought to every gig, large or small, far and wide and in-between. Just months before Brubeck, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, and drummer Joe Morello would set the music world alight with Time Out (Columbia, 1959), Wally ...

7
Album Review

The Dave Brubeck Quartet: The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest,1959

Read "The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest,1959" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


The Dave Brubeck Quartet Live from the Northwest,1959 was recorded in a moment of jazz history that showcased the quartet's exceptional musical prowess and Dave Brubeck's innovative approach to jazz composition. The album offers a vibrant snapshot of the group's improvisational energy and collective synergy exemplified by the four incomparable musicians, which, in addition to Brubeck, were Paul Desmond alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello drums. This seven-track concert was recorded over two ...

7
Album Review

Dave Brubeck Quartet: Debut In The Netherlands 1958: The Lost Recordings

Read "Debut In The Netherlands 1958: The Lost Recordings" reviewed by Chris May


For some people, the Dave Brubeck Quartet's catalogue starts with 1959's Time Out (Columbia) and ends with Time Further Out (Columbia) two years later. Verily, they know not what they are missing. The band was burning from 1951, when Brubeck and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond founded it, until 1967 and the breakup of the “classic" lineup. That lineup comprised Brubeck, Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, who joined in early 1958, and drummer Joe Morello, who joined in late 1956, and it ...

9
Album Review

Dave Brubeck: Live From Vienna 1967

Read "Live From Vienna 1967" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Considered one of the foremost exponents of the cool jazz style--despite often generating intense block-chorded heat as a pianist--Dave Brubeck was also known to lead the finest quartet bands in the jazz world. Of the several groups he led throughout his career, the most successful version was his classic quartet from 1958 to 1968 comprised of saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello. In what was to be the band's last tour in Europe in 1967, this ...

7
Album Review

Dave Brubeck Trio: Live From Vienna 1967

Read "Live From Vienna 1967" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


The lure of a lively good party has long made Hamburg, Germany, a global destination spot. Young and old, male and female, and all in between have, at one time or another, succumbed to the city's salacious history, its tantalizing port of entry, its raucous streets, denizens, and rathskellers. So, can we really judge or speculate (then and now) why Paul Desmond, famed saxophonist, composer, and one fourth of the great one mind that was The Dave Brubeck Quartet just ...

1
Album Review

Dave Brubeck: Time OutTakes

Read "Time OutTakes" reviewed by Stefano Merighi


Time OutTakes è il frutto della scoperta dell'insieme dei nastri giacenti nei vaults della Columbia, riguardanti il celebre album di Dave Brubeck, edito nel 1959. Come spesso accade per questo genere di operazioni, il supplemento di materiale che esce fuori dallo scavo coincide con versioni alternative dei medesimi brani della collezione definitiva (outtakes), ma anche con pezzi scartati dalla produzione--due in questo caso--oppure con la scoperta che in certi casi è bastata una sola “take" per essere soddisfatti ...

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Album Review

The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time OutTakes

Read "Time OutTakes" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


When, for the first and the millionth time Paul McCartney is queried by lazy savants and crazed fans about what he would have cut from epic double White Album (Apple, 1968) to make it the strongest of the strongest single disc ever, the cutely weathered one just replies “It's the Beatles' bleedin' White Album, man" and the discussion, at least for that moment, is done. The fans and essayists will go on and on and on while he pursues other ...

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61

Interview

Celebrating Time Out: Mike Richmond on Eugene Wright

Celebrating Time Out: Mike Richmond on Eugene Wright

Source: Jazz Online By Joseph Vella

2009, Dave Brubeck's musical masterpiece Time Out turned 50 and on behalf of Legacy Recordings, I produced a podcast series celebrating this timeless work. Along with interviewing Dave Brubeck himself about the album, I also interviewed three additional musicians saxophonist David Sanborn, bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Bill Bruford to discuss the influential work of Time Out band members, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello. For reasons beyond my scope, this series was never released. Featured on this episode ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Debut In The...

The Lost Recordings
2023

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Live From the...

Brubeck Editions
2023

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Live From Vienna 1967

Brubeck Editions
2022

buy

Time OutTakes

Brubeck Editions
2020

buy

Time Out: Dave...

Sony Music
1987

buy

Glad To Be Unhappy

RCA Victor / Legacy
1965

buy

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