Frank Wright Trio is the debut album by saxophonist Frank Wright. It was recorded in November 1965 in New York City, released by ESP-Disk in 1966, and reissued on CD in 1992. On the album, Wright is joined by bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Tom Price.[1][2] The tracks were also reissued in 2005 on the Frank Wright compilation The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings.[3]
| Frank Wright Trio | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1966 | |||
| Recorded | November 11, 1965 | |||
| Studio | New York City | |||
| Genre | free jazz | |||
| Length | 33:57 | |||
| Label | ESP-Disk 1023 | |||
| Frank Wright chronology | ||||
| ||||
ESP-Disk founder Bernard Stollman recalled the origins of the album: "John Coltrane was playing with his quartet at the Village Gate during the Christmas holiday. I was greatly impressed by the playing of a guest artist, a saxophonist. When the set ended, I approached and complimented him on his playing. I asked who he was. He said, 'I'm Frank Wright, from Cleveland.' 'Do you have a record label?' 'Oh no, I'm not on any record label.' I said, 'Well, you are now.' He'd been pressing pants in a dry cleaning shop in Cleveland before he came to New York. Shortly afterwards, he formed a group and went into the studio."[4]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [5] |
In a review of the CD reissue for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: "All of tenor saxophonist Frank Wright's recordings can be considered a bit of a blowout. For his debut as a leader, Wright... rips into three of his originals: 'The Earth,' 'The Moon' and 'Jerry.' Due to the brevity of this CD reissue..., his follow-up ESP date Your Prayer gets the edge, but both are easily recommended to open-eared listeners who enjoy hearing fiery sound explorations."[1]
In an article for All About Jazz, Clifford Allen commented: "Wright... was one of the forerunners of the multiphonics-driven school of saxophonists to follow the direction pointed by Ayler, but with a more pronounced bar-walking influence than most of his contemporaries. Whereas Ayler's high-pitched wails, wide vibrato and guttural honks all belied an R&B pedigree, his solos still contained the breakneck tempos and facility of bebop... Wright, on the other hand, offers his honks and squawks with a phraseology derived from the slower, earthier funk of R&B and gospel music... The opening 'The Earth' starts with a brief vibrato-heavy and bluesy slow theme on unaccompanied tenor that quickly erupts into a frantic screamer of a solo, a mix of buzzing upper-register cries and low bleating honks, occasional recognizable stock R&B phrases making their way into the melange... Unlike Ayler, there is not a significant amount of solo construction, for it appears Wright was throwing together ideas in a spirit of jubilation. The rhythm section is certainly strong and experienced, and are given ample duet room after Wright's solo ends."[6]
Track listing
editAll compositions by Frank Wright.
- "The Earth" – 7:35
- "Jerry" – 11:50
- "The Moon" – 14:32
Personnel
edit- Frank Wright – tenor saxophone
- Henry Grimes – bass
- Tom Price – drums
References
edit- ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Frank Wright: Frank Wright Trio". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ "ESP-Disk Catalog: 1000 series - album index". JazzDisco. Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ Nastos, Michael G. "Frank Wright: Complete ESP-Disk Recordings". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ Weiss, Jason (2012). Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk, the Most Outrageous Record Label in America. Wesleyan University Press. p. 49.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1998). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on Compact Disc. Penguin Books. p. 1604.
- ^ Allen, Clifford (July 13, 2005). "Frank Wright: Frank Wright: The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2022.