Ronnell Bright

Ronnell Bright ( born July 3, 1930 in Chicago) is an American jazz pianist, arranger and composer of modern jazz. He worked for Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan.

Life

Ronell Bright wanted to be original classical pianist; the age of nine he won an award and played with the " Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Piano ". He studied at the Juilliard School and graduated in the early 1950s his studies. His first encounter with jazz he had in a U.S. Navy band. Later he worked in Chicago with bassist Johnny Tate and was in the mid 1950s accompanist of singer Carmen McRae. Since that time, he plays a groovy light swing style.

1955 Bright moved to New York where he performed with Rolf Kühn and plates recorded. In 1957 he was a member of the big band of Dizzy Gillespie; In the same year he also had his own trio with Richard Davis and drummer Art Morgan. From 1958 he was accompanist and conductor of the orchestra for Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne and Gloria Lynne. In 1964 he was Nancy Wilson's arranger, pianist and musical director and moved to Los Angeles. There, Bright worked primarily in the Hollywood studios. In 1972 he was for two years a member of the formation Supersax. He then taught a year of high school.

Ronnell Bright worked as a composer with lyricist Johnny Mercer and wrote compositions that were played by Sarah Vaughan, Cal Tjader, Horace Silver and Blue Mitchell. He also was involved in recordings of Coleman Hawkins, Anita O'Day, Shirley Scott and Frank Wess.

In the early 1990s he settled in Denver, himself the title of "Doctor of Divinity " was; with his wife, Rev. Dianne Bright he produced jazz programs for their own church, the Harmony Church, which also often local musicians appeared as guests of Harmony Orchestra.

Marc Myers has a detailed blog article after he had sought Bright intense, again called him in 2007 in memory where his work in the 1960s, mainly as a sought attendants, would otherwise have been forgotten, what is Bright was delighted.

Disco Graphical Notes

As a leader

• The Ronnell Bright Trio ( Polydor / Fresh Sound Records, 1958)
• Bright ' s Spot ( Savoy, reissue Denon )
• Bright Flight
• After Hours Jazz

As a sideman

• Coleman Hawkins: The Hawk Relaxes ( Prestige / OJC, 1961)
• Anita O'Day: I Got A Kick Out Of You ( Evidence, 1975)
• Shirley Scott: workin ' ( Prestige, 1958-61 )
• Sarah Vaughan: Misty ( Emarcy, 1958);
• Sarah Vaughan with the Jimmy Jones Orchestra: Dreamy ( Roulette, Fresh Souind Rec, 1960)
• Frank Wess: Trombones And Flute ( Savoy, 1956)