Gerald Albright to join Rippingtons for star-studded show at Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival
R&B, contemporary and straight-ahead jazz would not be the same without Gerald Albright. True to his longstanding reputation as a “musician’s musician,” Albright’s love of music was piqued when his piano teacher gave him a saxophone. By the time he enrolled at the University of Redlands, he was already a skilled saxophonist. Multi-instrumentalist-in-the-making Albright switched to bass guitar after he saw Louis Johnson in concert, joining jazz pianist/R&B singer Patrice Rushen. When the bass player left in the middle of a tour, Albright replaced him and finished the tour on bass guitar.
For well over 35 years, Albright has been in high demand as a session musician, playing for a wide variety of artists including Anita Baker, Ray Parker, Lola Folana, Atlantic Starr, Olivia Newton-John, the Temptations and Maurice White. He also toured extensively with Les McCann, Jeff Lorber, Teena Marie, the Winans, Marlena Shaw, Quincy Jones and Whitney Houston, among many others.
Albright recorded numerous successful solo albums for Atlantic Records, many of them hitting the number one slot on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Chart. But like many of our stars at the 2016 Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, Albright eventually moved to GRP. The groundbreaking Groovology album grew out of that while he maintained his busy schedule as a session man. His second GRP album, Kickin’ It Up, followed in 2004. Two years later, he signed with Peak Records, which released the 2008 Grammy® nominated New Beginnings and the 2009 Grammy® nominated Sax for Stax; both in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Album.
As his success has grown over the years, Albright has appeared on numerous TV shows, including A Different World, Melrose Place and BET Jazz segments. Along the way, he has sold well over a million albums in the U.S. alone and has appeared on more than 200 albums by other artists. Albright now lives with his family near Denver, Colorado.
Bask in the smooth sounds of Gerald Albright at three Jazz Festival shows: The first is with Jeffrey Osborne at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 15th at the Baycenter in Dewey Beach. The second is later that day at 7:30 p.m. for the All-Star Super Show with Brian Simpson, Norman Brown, Steve Cole, Jeffrey Osborne and Kirk Whalum at the Performing Arts Theatre, Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes.
At 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 16, Gerald Albright joins The Rippingtons on stage at the Performing Arts Theatre in Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes. This one’s a match made in musical heaven!
