Leo Wright

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Leo Nash Wright (born December 14, 1933 in Wichita Falls , Texas , † January 4, 1991 in Vienna ) was an American jazz musician ( woodwind instruments ).

Live and act

After studying at San Francisco State University and with John Hardee , Leo Wright had his first jobs with Saunders King , Dave Pike and Charles Mingus . Dizzy Gillespie took the versatile wind player, who mastered the alto saxophone, the clarinet and all flutes equally well, into his quintet for two years from 1959 to 1961. In 1963 he worked on the album Soul Sisters by organist Gloria Coleman . He also toured Europe with Gillespie's Big Band . After moving here, he became a popular session and big band musician . Berlin became his home - and especially the Blue Note Club . The commercial jobs with Paul Kuhn in the SFB Big Band as well as the guest appearances on tours of American colleagues secured him a living for the family and the recognition among his colleagues. He returned to the USA frequently for recordings and played with Brother Jack McDuff , Jimmy Witherspoon , Lalo Schifrin and in the Orchestra USA

He can also be heard at the Alto Summit produced by Joachim Ernst Berendt in 1968 with Phil Woods , Lee Konitz and Pony Poindexter .

In 1975 he married the Viennese singer and dancer Petronella Vasicek in Berlin, with whom he moved to the Danube in the 1980s. As Elly Wright , his widow is still active as a jazz singer and teacher today and passes on the knowledge Leo Wright acquired about "Swing and time and all that jazz" to the younger generation.

Discography

  • Blues Shout Atlantic LP (SD) 1358 (also released as CD)
  • Suddenly the Blues Atlantic LP (SD) 1393 (also released as CD)
  • Jazz Live at "Jazz bei Freddy" - (Wunderteam Productions - 1977) with Fritz Pauer , Jimmy Woode , Tony Inzalaco
  • Soul Talk Vortex 2011
  • Alto Summit (with Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Pony Poindexter, Steve Kuhn , Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen ) (MPS, also released on CD)
  • Flute + Alt Sax = Leo Wright Amiga (DDR) 855056
  • It's all Wright BASF (D) 20.21375-7

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Wright, Leo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wright, Leo Nash (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (woodwind instruments)
DATE OF BIRTH December 14, 1933
PLACE OF BIRTH Wichita Falls , Texas, USA
DATE OF DEATH 4th January 1991
Place of death Vienna , Austria