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Frank Wright
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Frank Wright was an American free jazz saxophonist, born in 1935 in Grenada, Mississippi. He grew up in Memphis and Cleveland and began as a bass guitarist in rhythm and blues bands. In that capacity he accompanied Bobby Bland and B.B. King, among others. In Cleveland he met Albert Ayler, and afterwards he switched to the tenor saxophone. In 1964 he moved to New York, where he played with Sunny Murray and Noah Howard and played with John Coltrane.
Music and breakthrough
At the end of 1965 he recorded his first album for the small label ESP-Disk, Frank Wright Trio, with Henry Grimes on bass and Tom Price on drums. In 1967 came Your Prayer. His playing was wild and fierce: he made the saxophone scream, honk and crack. Critics often compared him with Ayler, but Wright also kept hearing the earthy funk of R&B and gospel. His music was sometimes called energy music in the 1960s. At times he became so caught up in his playing that he began to dance in the middle of a solo.
Influence
In 1969 Wright moved to Paris, where for years he led a quartet with Bobby Few and Alan Silva, among others. Later he played in Cecil Taylor's orchestra. Colleagues called him the Reverend, because of his spiritual approach to music. He never made a record for a major label and remained in the underground throughout his career. He died in Germany in 1990.
Listening
The Earth · Frank Wright, 1966Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 1967Your Prayer
- 1970One for John
- 1970Uhuru Na Umoja
- 1977Shouting the Blues
- 1979Kevin, My Dear Son
- 1983Run With the Cowboys
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 5: Jazz FestivalNL Reader