Gil Bernal
Gil Bernal (born February 4, 1931 in Watts , Los Angeles , † July 17, 2011 ibid) was an American tenor saxophonist and singer who worked in the fields of jazz , rhythm and blues and rock music .
Live and act
Gil Bernal grew up in the neighborhood of later famous jazz musicians such as Charles Mingus , Buddy Collette and Big Jay McNeely , attended Jordan High School and began to be interested in jazz as a teenager. He initially played at parties until he was brought into Lionel Hampton's band in 1950 . In the following years he worked with his own formation, which briefly also included Shorty Rogers and Shelly Manne , in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. As a studio musician, he can be heard on R&B hits of the 1950s and early 1960s, such as The Coasters (Youngblood, Smokey Joe's Café, Riot in Cell Block # 9, Down in Mexico and Searchin ' ) and Duane Eddy's instrumental hit Rebel Rouser (1958).
Bernal played in Spike Jones' band for several years ; he also worked with Ray Charles and Quincy Jones , where he worked in 1967 on film scores such as In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood. With Bernal as the vocalist, the ballad The Eyes of Love was used in the feature film Banning , which earned Quincy Jones and lyricist Bob Russell an Oscar nomination in 1967. He also worked in later years on Ry Coder's album projects Buena Vista Social Club Presents Ibrahim Ferrer , Chavez Ravine and I, Flathead .
The saxophonist should not be confused with the soul singer of the same name ( Can You Love a Poor Boy ).
Web links
- Gil Bernal at Discogs (English)
- Gil Bernal in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- LA Times obituary , July 27, 2011
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bernal, Gil |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American R&B and jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Watts , Los Angeles |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 17, 2011 |
| Place of death | Watts , Los Angeles |