Biography
Gerald Albright, an award-winning and chart-topping contemporary jazz saxophonist, has issued numerous albums since the closing years of the 1980s. Command of bass, keyboards, and woodwinds alongside the saxophone has produced hundreds of recording credits with leading R&B, gospel, and hip-hop performers. His first project as leader, Just Between Us, entered the Top 200 in 1987 and remained on the charts for 25 weeks. After moving to Verve he joined Will Downing on the chart-topping Pleasures of the Night. Groovology from 2002 logged 21 weeks on the charts, 24/7 with guitarist Norman Brown reached number one in 2012, and Slam Dunk stayed on the charts for six months in 2014 while peaking at two. After establishing Bright Music Records in 2019, Albright released 30, which held a place on the jazz charts for nearly six months and reached number seven.
Born in South Central Los Angeles, Albright began piano lessons at an early age and later recalled that the instrument, which became meaningful to him only after more than a decade, supplied the foundations of harmony, theory, and melodic composition. When his piano instructor presented him with a saxophone he made the change during grade school and kept developing on the horn in the band at Locke High School. He looked up to James Brown and absorbed strong influences from groove-oriented saxophonists Maceo Parker and Cannonball Adderley. At Redlands University he earned a degree in business management with a minor in music. While in college he attended a Brothers Johnson concert and, deeply impressed by Louis Johnson’s bass work, immediately began learning the instrument; his bass playing has since appeared on his own recordings and on dozens of others.
Following graduation Albright worked as a session musician on recordings by Ray Parker, Jr., Rick James, the Chocolate Jam Co., and many additional artists. He became a member of keyboardist and composer Patrice Rushen’s band. When her bassist departed during a tour, Albright completed the dates on bass. His saxophones received prominent exposure on Rushen’s early recordings, including the charting jazz-funk albums Patrice and Pizzazz, the international breakthrough Straight from the Heart, and 1984’s Now. Over the ensuing years he recorded in the studio with Lenny Williams, Syreeta, DeBarge, Third World, Anita Baker, and Leon Ware while touring with Johnny Hallyday, Quincy Jones, Hugh Masekela, and Jeff Lorber. He continues to rank among the most sought-after session players in the present century.
His strong standing led to a solo contract with Atlantic Records. The debut Atlantic album Just Between Us introduced him to a wider audience in 1987, reaching number seven on the contemporary jazz charts after cracking the Top 200. The next year he appeared on Heaven by Bebe and CeCe Winans, on a Rodney Franklin date, and on other projects. He established his identity with Dream Come True in 1990, Live at Birdland West in 1991, Smooth in 1994, and Live to Love in 1997, all of which registered on multiple charts. In 1998 he collaborated again with Will Downing on Pleasures of the Night for Verve Forecast; the album spent 58 weeks on the jazz album charts, 48 weeks on the contemporary jazz album chart, and topped both lists.
After seven albums for Atlantic, Albright moved to GRP in 2002 for Groovology, his first release in more than five years. It reached number five on the jazz charts and number four on the contemporary jazz chart. He headlined tours across the United States while maintaining his session schedule. His second GRP album, Kickin’ It Up, arrived in 2004 and landed inside the Top Ten on the R&B, contemporary jazz, and jazz lists, remaining on the charts for six months. New Beginnings in 2006 assembled Lorber, Rushen, and Chris Botti for its studio roster. Nominated for a Grammy in the Best Instrumental Pop Album category, the record topped the contemporary jazz chart and reached number four on the jazz albums chart.
He joined Heads Up International in 2010, then one of the leading contemporary jazz imprints, and issued the club-conscious jazz-funk album Pushing the Envelope. Albright produced the set and performed on saxophones, bass, and EWI. Certified gold, it peaked at number two on the contemporary jazz chart and number four on the jazz list. Teaming with jazz guitarist Norman Brown, he released 24/7 on Concord; the album topped both the jazz and contemporary jazz album charts and spent more than a year on the latter list.
In 2013 Albright joined Dave Koz, Mindi Abair, and Richard Elliot on the Grammy-nominated Summer Horns, a collection of jazz, funk, and R&B covers. The project held the number-one position on the jazz charts for six weeks and remained on the list for 71 weeks while also charting inside the upper half of the Top 200; the accompanying tour sold out completely. Slam Dunk, his twelfth straight album to reach the jazz albums Top Ten, peaked at number two on both jazz charts in 2014.
Albright issued G in 2016 as the first release on his own Bright Music Records label. Despite narrower distribution, the album drew on a broad and loyal audience. It included guest appearances by Michael McDonald on “Lovely Day” and rapper Doug E. Fresh on “G and Doug E.” The record placed inside the Top Five at both jazz and contemporary jazz and stayed on the latter chart for more than thirty weeks. He rejoined Koz and Elliot, this time with trumpeter Rick Braun and trombonist Aubrey Logan, for Summer Horns II: From A to Z in 2018. The Concord collection of jazz and pop covers featured guest vocalists Gloria Estefan, Kenny Lattimore, and Jonathan Butler. The best-selling set topped the contemporary jazz chart, reached number two on the jazz albums list, and remained on both charts for more than six months.
Also arriving in 2018 as Bright Music’s second release was the soulful jazz-funk album 30. Presenting rearranged and re-recorded selections from his catalog, it included a guest appearance by daughter Selina Albright on the ballad “Come Back to Me.” 30 reached number three on the contemporary jazz chart and number seven on the jazz albums chart while charting for six months.
A year later Albright released his first holiday collection, Not So Silent Night, which retained its groove-oriented approach throughout the season. Vocalists Selina Albright, Jonathan Butler, and Take 6 appeared on selected tracks. Unusually for a holiday album, it placed at number four on the contemporary jazz chart and number 18 on the jazz albums chart. Following an extended period devoted exclusively to worldwide touring, Albright returned to the studio in May 2024 with the three-track set G - Stream 3 - Full Throttle. The opening track, a hard jazz-funk instrumental, featured guest Trombone Shorty.
Born in South Central Los Angeles, Albright began piano lessons at an early age and later recalled that the instrument, which became meaningful to him only after more than a decade, supplied the foundations of harmony, theory, and melodic composition. When his piano instructor presented him with a saxophone he made the change during grade school and kept developing on the horn in the band at Locke High School. He looked up to James Brown and absorbed strong influences from groove-oriented saxophonists Maceo Parker and Cannonball Adderley. At Redlands University he earned a degree in business management with a minor in music. While in college he attended a Brothers Johnson concert and, deeply impressed by Louis Johnson’s bass work, immediately began learning the instrument; his bass playing has since appeared on his own recordings and on dozens of others.
Following graduation Albright worked as a session musician on recordings by Ray Parker, Jr., Rick James, the Chocolate Jam Co., and many additional artists. He became a member of keyboardist and composer Patrice Rushen’s band. When her bassist departed during a tour, Albright completed the dates on bass. His saxophones received prominent exposure on Rushen’s early recordings, including the charting jazz-funk albums Patrice and Pizzazz, the international breakthrough Straight from the Heart, and 1984’s Now. Over the ensuing years he recorded in the studio with Lenny Williams, Syreeta, DeBarge, Third World, Anita Baker, and Leon Ware while touring with Johnny Hallyday, Quincy Jones, Hugh Masekela, and Jeff Lorber. He continues to rank among the most sought-after session players in the present century.
His strong standing led to a solo contract with Atlantic Records. The debut Atlantic album Just Between Us introduced him to a wider audience in 1987, reaching number seven on the contemporary jazz charts after cracking the Top 200. The next year he appeared on Heaven by Bebe and CeCe Winans, on a Rodney Franklin date, and on other projects. He established his identity with Dream Come True in 1990, Live at Birdland West in 1991, Smooth in 1994, and Live to Love in 1997, all of which registered on multiple charts. In 1998 he collaborated again with Will Downing on Pleasures of the Night for Verve Forecast; the album spent 58 weeks on the jazz album charts, 48 weeks on the contemporary jazz album chart, and topped both lists.
After seven albums for Atlantic, Albright moved to GRP in 2002 for Groovology, his first release in more than five years. It reached number five on the jazz charts and number four on the contemporary jazz chart. He headlined tours across the United States while maintaining his session schedule. His second GRP album, Kickin’ It Up, arrived in 2004 and landed inside the Top Ten on the R&B, contemporary jazz, and jazz lists, remaining on the charts for six months. New Beginnings in 2006 assembled Lorber, Rushen, and Chris Botti for its studio roster. Nominated for a Grammy in the Best Instrumental Pop Album category, the record topped the contemporary jazz chart and reached number four on the jazz albums chart.
He joined Heads Up International in 2010, then one of the leading contemporary jazz imprints, and issued the club-conscious jazz-funk album Pushing the Envelope. Albright produced the set and performed on saxophones, bass, and EWI. Certified gold, it peaked at number two on the contemporary jazz chart and number four on the jazz list. Teaming with jazz guitarist Norman Brown, he released 24/7 on Concord; the album topped both the jazz and contemporary jazz album charts and spent more than a year on the latter list.
In 2013 Albright joined Dave Koz, Mindi Abair, and Richard Elliot on the Grammy-nominated Summer Horns, a collection of jazz, funk, and R&B covers. The project held the number-one position on the jazz charts for six weeks and remained on the list for 71 weeks while also charting inside the upper half of the Top 200; the accompanying tour sold out completely. Slam Dunk, his twelfth straight album to reach the jazz albums Top Ten, peaked at number two on both jazz charts in 2014.
Albright issued G in 2016 as the first release on his own Bright Music Records label. Despite narrower distribution, the album drew on a broad and loyal audience. It included guest appearances by Michael McDonald on “Lovely Day” and rapper Doug E. Fresh on “G and Doug E.” The record placed inside the Top Five at both jazz and contemporary jazz and stayed on the latter chart for more than thirty weeks. He rejoined Koz and Elliot, this time with trumpeter Rick Braun and trombonist Aubrey Logan, for Summer Horns II: From A to Z in 2018. The Concord collection of jazz and pop covers featured guest vocalists Gloria Estefan, Kenny Lattimore, and Jonathan Butler. The best-selling set topped the contemporary jazz chart, reached number two on the jazz albums list, and remained on both charts for more than six months.
Also arriving in 2018 as Bright Music’s second release was the soulful jazz-funk album 30. Presenting rearranged and re-recorded selections from his catalog, it included a guest appearance by daughter Selina Albright on the ballad “Come Back to Me.” 30 reached number three on the contemporary jazz chart and number seven on the jazz albums chart while charting for six months.
A year later Albright released his first holiday collection, Not So Silent Night, which retained its groove-oriented approach throughout the season. Vocalists Selina Albright, Jonathan Butler, and Take 6 appeared on selected tracks. Unusually for a holiday album, it placed at number four on the contemporary jazz chart and number 18 on the jazz albums chart. Following an extended period devoted exclusively to worldwide touring, Albright returned to the studio in May 2024 with the three-track set G - Stream 3 - Full Throttle. The opening track, a hard jazz-funk instrumental, featured guest Trombone Shorty.
Albums
G-Stream 3 - Full Throttle
2024
G-Stream 2-Turn It Up
2022
30
2018
G
2016
Slam Dunk
2014
24/7
2012
Pushing The Envelope (eBooklet)
2010
Sax For Stax
2008
New Beginnings
2006
Kickin' It Up
2004
Groovology
2002
Pleasures Of The Night
1998
Live To Love
1997
Giving Myself To You
1995
Smooth
1994
Dream Come True
1990
Bermuda Nights
1989
Just Between Us
1987
Singles
Live
