Gerald Albright
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Gerald Albright (born August 30, 1957) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Albright had sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming, and background vocals.
[edit] Biography
Born in Los Angeles, Albright grew up in the south central part of the city. He began piano lessons at an early age, even though he professed no great interest in the instrument. His love of music picked up considerably when he was given a saxophone that belonged to his piano teacher. It was further reinforced when he attended Locke High School, a breeding ground for many young West Coast musicians, After high school, he attended the University of Redlands where he received a B.S. degree in Business Management, minoring in Music. Already a polished saxophonist by the time he enrolled in college, Albright suddenly switched to bass guitar after he saw Louis Johnson in concert. A few months after graduating from college, Gerald joined Patrice Rushen, who was in the process of forming her own band, in which he played the saxophone. Later, when the bass player left in the middle of a tour, Albright replaced him and finished the tour on bass guitar. From then on, he often performed on both instruments.
Immediately after college, Albright began to master his talent by working extensively in the studio with such artists as Anita Baker, Ray Parker, Jr., The Temptations, and Olivia Newton-John. He has also toured with Jeff Lorber, Teena Marie, Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, and many others. In addition to numerous appearances at clubs and jazz festivals, Albright had also been a part of the popular Jazz Explosion tours, which saw him teaming up with contemporary jazz stars like Will Downing, Jonathan Butler, Hugh Masekela, Chaka Khan, and Rachelle Ferrell, to name a few.
Albright has also made several television appearances on shows such as A Different World, Melrose Place, and BET jazz segments, as well as piloting a show in Las Vegas with Designing Women star Meshach Taylor.
Albright was one of the ten featured saxophonists who performed at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. He was also featured at the Presidential Summit, as well as several private functions for the President.
Albright is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.
[edit] Discography
| titles | year | label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Just Between Us" | 1987 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Bermuda Nights" | 1988 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Dream Come True" | 1990 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Live At Birdland West" | 1994 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Giving Myself To You" | 1995 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Live To Love" | 1997 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Pleasures Of The Night" with Will Downing | 1998 | Polygram | |
| "The Very Best Of Gerald Albright" | 2001 | Atlantic/Wea | |
| "Groovology" | 2002 | GRP | |
| "Kickin' It Up" | 2004 | GRP | |
| "New Beginnings" | 2006 | Peak |
