More Info on Gerald AlbrightSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
BLP sources|date=August 2008Infobox musical artist| name = Gerald Albright| image = Gerald Albright.jpg| caption =| image_size =| landscape = yes| background = solo_singer| birth_name =| alias =| birth_date = Birth date and age|1957|8|30| origin = Los Angeles, California , United States|U.S. | death_date =| instrument = Saxophone , Bass Guitar , Keyboard instrument|Keyboard , Flute , Singing|Vocals | genre = Jazz | years_active = 1987& ndash;present| label = GRP Records|GRP , Peak Records|Peak , Atlantic Records|Atlantic/Wea , Polygram Records|Polygram | associated_acts = Will Downing | website = official website| http://www.geraldalbright.com Gerald Albright (born August 30, 1957) is an United States|American jazz music|jazz saxophonist .
Albright has sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. aloneCitation needed|date=August 2008. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar , Keyboard instrument|keyboards , flute s, drum programming, and background vocals.
Biography
Born in Los Angeles , Albright grew up in its South Central Los Angeles|South Central neighborhood. 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 of the United States|West Coast musicians.Citation needed|date=March 2007 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 (bassist)|Louis Johnson in concert.
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 . 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. Consequently, he often performed on both instruments. Around the same time he also began to tour Europe with drummer Alphonse Mouzon .
He has also toured with Jeff Lorber , Teena Marie , Quincy Jones , Whitney Houston , Phil Collins , Johnny Hallyday , Anita Baker 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 , among others.
Albright has also made several television appearances on shows such as A Different World (TV series)|A Different World , Melrose Place (1992 TV series)|Melrose Place , and Black Entertainment Television|BET jazz segments, as well as piloting a show in Las Vegas Valley|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 fraternity. Albright now lives with his family near Denver, Colorado.
Equipment
Saxophones
Gerald Albright plays his own signature series model of saxophone made by Cannonball Musical Instruments . The GA5-SB is the current model shown above, with a polished black-nickel bell on a silver plated body.
Necks
Of the two necks that are furnished with the Cannonball Musical Instruments|Cannonball saxophones , Gerald generally uses the "Fat Neck" (as shown above), with the octave vent tube located on the bottom of the neck—a design somewhat similar to that of some vintage Conn 6M models.
Alto Sax - Custom Beechler HR Diamond Inlay with Hahn or LaVoz "medium-hard" Reeds
Soprano saxophone|Soprano Sax - Dukoff D7 with Hahn Reeds
Trivia
Gerald Albright's saxophone work is featured in the PlayStation video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night . His saxophone work can be heard during the game's closing theme song "I Am the Wind" (which, coincidentally, also features smooth jazz keyboardist Jeff Lorber ). http://www.mobygames.com/game/playstation/castlevania-symphony-of-the-night/credits Game Credits for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Albright is an avid golfer, and a pair of golf clubs is somewhat hidden in the hand-engraving motif he helped design for his signature series saxophones.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=15128807 Gerald Albright at NPR Music
http://cannonballmusic.com/signature.php Gerald Albright Signature Series Saxophones
Persondata| NAME =Albright, Gerald | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Saxophonist | DATE OF BIRTH =August 30, 1957 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Albright, Gerald Category:1957 births Category:African American woodwind musicians Category:African American guitarists Category:American keyboardists Category:American jazz saxophonists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Los Angeles, California Category:Smooth jazz saxophonists Category:University of Redlands alumni Category:GRP Records artists
