Frank Wright Trio

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 Frank Wright
Released	1966
Recorded	November 11, 1965
Studio	New York City
Genre	free jazz
Length	33:57
Label	ESP-Disk 1023
Frank Wright chronology
Frank Wright Trio (1966) Your Prayer (1967)

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

Professional ratings

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

All compositions by Frank Wright.

1. "The Earth" – 7:35
2. "Jerry" – 11:50
3. "The Moon" – 14:32

Personnel

• Frank Wright – tenor saxophone
• Henry Grimes – bass
• Tom Price – drums

References

1. Yanow, Scott. "Frank Wright: Frank Wright Trio". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
2. "ESP-Disk Catalog: 1000 series - album index". JazzDisco. Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
3. Nastos, Michael G. "Frank Wright: Complete ESP-Disk Recordings". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2022-02-11. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
4. Weiss, Jason (2012). Always in Trouble: An Oral History of ESP-Disk, the Most Outrageous Record Label in America. Wesleyan University Press. p. 49.
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1998). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on Compact Disc. Penguin Books. p. 1604.
6. Allen, Clifford (July 13, 2005). "Frank Wright: Frank Wright: The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings". AllMusic. Retrieved February 21, 2022.