The saxman's soulful creative juices are
flowing anew as he makes a fresh start with a move to Colorado,
a signature saxophone series and New Beginnings on
Peak Records.
By Jonathan Widran
After two successful releases on GRP (Groovology and Kickin’ It
Up), Gerald Albright is excited about his fresh-start relationship
with Peak Records and his new deal with Cannonball Musical
Instruments, for which he’s designed an alto and
tenor sax as part of the Gerald Albright Signature Horn
Series. And on March 18, he hits the stage with Kirk Whalum
as part of the 16th annual FirstEnergy Berks Jazz Fest
in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Dividing his touring time last year between the ongoing
all-star Groovin’ for Grover phenomenon, a handful
of solo gigs and 27 dates over nine weeks last fall on
Phil Collins’ “Final Farewell Tour,” Gerald
Albright traveled to a lot of exotic destinations he’d
never been to before.
While the third year of the Grover tour kept the saxman
groovin’ stateside with Whalum and Jeff Lorber, Collins––with
whom Albright has toured on and off since 1998—played
before crowds of up to 50,000 throughout Europe and the
Middle East, in places like Romania, Croatia, Beirut, Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem.
While he found his down time roaming as a tourist in those
places fun and very educational, Albright’s real
joy in 2005 was returning home––not to the
Los Angeles area where he’d lived his entire life,
but to the beautiful, fresh-air-filled town of Castle Rock,
Colorado, where he and his family (Glynis, his wife of
25 years, and kids Selina, 24, and Brandon, 16) relocated
last February. This move from Moorpark, California, is
just one of the new beginnings the title of his brand new
album refers to.
Albright first discovered the magical, mountainous charm
of the Denver area when he was there in October, 2004,
to perform at a charity event for Elijah’s Rainbow
Foundation, which raises money to help pay for sick children’s
medical bills. “I’d performed there many times
in the past, but, as is typical when you’re in and
out of places so quickly, I had never gotten to see the
city,” he says. “Vernon Barbary, the gentleman
who spearheads the foundation, has a business partner who
is a realtor, and the realtor, who is now a dear friend
of ours, took me and Glynis around to check out the local
real estate.
“We just fell in love with the place,” Albright adds. “We
had no immediate intentions of moving, but for weeks all we could talk about
was the Mile High City. For the past decade, we’d been looking at different
areas to move to. Turns out that the last house we saw on the day before our
return was the one we eventually bought. We just loved the neighborhood, the
warm feeling we got from the people, and the layout of the house was conducive
to what we needed. But we had to convince the kids. Selina was working in Simi
at Score!, a chain of tutorial services, but looking for a change. Brandon
was more of a challenge because he’s still in high school. But when we
took him there for a second trip, and he saw all the golf courses, he saw the
potential. It’s been a great move for all of us.”
Living in a new location that Albright refers to as “God’s
Country” ––where he marvels daily at
the sight of deer grazing on his property, with mountains
rising in the distance––the saxman felt his
creative juices stirring on a regular basis. Being away
from the big city smog and traffic put him in a relaxed
and refreshed state of mind, which he found very conducive
to writing and developing tunes at his own pace. But the
creative freedom Peak provided gave him all the time he
needed to write and choose the songs and pick the guest
artists and musicians who would be on the album.
“I was able to take some stylistic liberties here as well,” he
says. “My songs are more R&B than anything, incorporating all of
my influences like Motown, Philly and James Brown. I know I’ve always
talked about how Cannonball Adderly’s mix of improvisation and soul inspired
me, but my first hero was and remains Maceo Parker from the James Brown horn
section. Every time I meet him, I feel like I’m in the presence of royalty.
All the elements in my writing these days are more powerful and energetic than
a lot of what you hear on smooth jazz radio. It’s cool not to be pigeonholed.
My tunes are adaptable to smooth jazz, but not specifically that. With the
exception of ‘Georgia on my Mind,’ I pretty much kept the same
arrangements on the studio versions of these songs that I’ve used in
live performances.”
While most of Albright’s previous albums found him
hiring top studio musicians, this time he recorded most
of the tracks with his longtime regular touring band, including
bassist Melvin Davis, guitarist Darlene Moreno, drummer
Tony Moore and his newest member, keyboardist and musical
director Tracy Carter. There are a few cool guest stars,
including his old Locke High School classmate, R&B/jazz
keyboardist Patrice Rushen, and Walter and Scotty Scott,
two original members of the Whispers, who contribute vocals
to a reworking of their signature hit “And the Beat
Goes On.”
Once again, Albright also co-writes and produces tracks
with his Groovin’ for Grover touring mate Lorber.
The Albright-Lorber connection goes back to the early ’80s,
when the young saxman replaced the soon-to-be-famous Kenny
G in the Jeff Lorber Fusion band. Almost 20 years later,
Lorber, as co-writer and co-producer, helped Albright score
three #1 radio singles, including “Ain’t No
Stoppin” (from Groovology) and “To the Max” (from Kickin’ It
Up).
“Jeff creates a wonderful comfort zone for me,” says Albright. “He
has a keen ear for knowing what everyone’s going to like but that will
also keep me challenged. He’s all about making music with substance.
What came out on New Beginnings was genuine Gerald. I worked with people I
love to play with, and having longtime friends and my regular band created
a total comfort zone.”
Throughout his career, Albright’s true comfort zone
has always been his family, which to his delight has not
only adjusted well to the move to Colorado, but is truly
thriving there. Many longtime fans have been asking him
about Just Sweet Enough, Glynis’ health-conscious,
low-sugar baked goods company. The saxman and devoted husband
assures them that, despite the relocation, the company
is very much alive, but Mrs. Albright has taken her interest
in “healing through baking” one step further––she’s
also back in school to earn a certification in nutritional
therapy, with an emphasis on enzymology. She attends a
private school called the Institute for Alternative Medicine,
and she also studies privately with a practitioner.
Selina and Brandon are thriving as well. Coming into her
own in the new surroundings, Selina has established her
own tutorial business and is developing an active social
life. Brandon is still a sports nut, as he was back in
Moorpark, and is on his high school golf team; he is also
a paintball fanatic.
“Our family communicates a lot with each other,” says Albright. “We’re
really good about getting together and talking things out. When we have issues,
our dinner table becomes a family forum. Whether it hurts or not, we process
our struggles the best we can. As a dad and musician, I’m constantly
swinging the pendulum between work and family. I get to see a lot of cool cities
and countries, but, even with the kids being older, I want to spend enough
time at home to make sure there’s that fatherly presence. We’ve
been a close-knit family from day one, and it’s great for all of us to
have that mutual support system on an ongoing basis.”
Gerald Albright is scheduled to perform two shows with
Kirk Whalum during the 16th annual FirstEnergy Berks Jazz
Fest. The concerts will be held on March 18, 2 and 10:30pm,
at the Wyndham Reading Hotel Ballroom, located at 5th & Washington
Streets, in Reading, Pennsylvania. For more information
regarding this event, log on to www.berksjazzfest.com.
Albright’s website can be accessed online at www.geraldalbright.com.
Discography: |
1987 |
Just Between
Us |
Atlantic |
1989 |
Bermuda Nights |
Atlantic |
1990 |
Dream Come
True |
Atlantic |
1991 |
Live at Birdland West |
Atlantic |
1994 |
Smooth |
Atlantic |
1995 |
Giving
Myself to You |
Atlantic |
1997 |
Live to Love |
Atlantic |
2001 |
The Very Best of Gerald
Albright |
Atlantic |
2002 |
Groovology |
GRP |
2004 |
Kickin’ It
Up |
GRP |
2006 |
New Beginnings |
Peak |
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