Leo Wright

Leo Wright (December 14, 1933, in Wichita Falls, Texas – January 4, 1991, in Vienna) was an American jazz musician who played alto saxophone, flute and clarinet. He played with Booker Ervin, Charles Mingus, John Hardee, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Coles, Blue Mitchell and Dizzy Gillespie in the late 1950s, early 1960s and in the late 1970s.

Relocating to Europe in 1963, Wright settled in Berlin and later Vienna. During this time, he performed and recorded primarily in Europe, using European musicians or fellow American expatriates, such as Kenny Clarke and Art Farmer. He died of a heart attack in 1991 at the age of 57.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Blues Shout (Atlantic, 1960)

Suddenly the Blues (Atlantic, 1961)

Soul Talk (Vortex, 1963)

Modern Jazz Studio Number 4 (Amiga, 1965 [1970])

Flute + Alto – Sax (Amiga, 1965 [1967])

Alto Summit (MPS, 1968) with Lee Konitz, Pony Poindexter and Phil Woods

It's All Wright (MPS, 1972)

Evening Breeze (Roulette, 1977)

New Horn in Town/Blues Shote (Fresh Sound, 2012)

As sideman

With Booker Ervin
 

Doug's Night Club, Berlin, Germany (Bootleg), 1965)

With Kenny Burrell

Bluesin' Around (Columbia, 1962 [1983])

With Gloria Coleman

Soul Sisters (Impulse!, 1963)

With Johnny Coles

Little Johnny C (Blue Note, 1963)

With Tadd Dameron

The Magic Touch (Riverside, 1962)

With Red Garland
 

I Left My Heart... (Muse, 1978 [1985])

With Dizzy Gillespie
 

Copenhagen Concert (SteepleChase)

Gillespiana (Verve, 1960)

An Electrifying Evening with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet (Verve, 1961)

Carnegie Hall Concert (Verve, 1961)

Dizzy on the French Riviera (Philips, 1962)

A Musical Safari – Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1961 (Booman, 1974)

New Wave (Philips, 1963)

With Gildo Mahones
 

I'm Shooting High (Prestige, 1963)

The Great Gildo (Prestige, 1964)

With Jack McDuff

Screamin' (Prestige, 1962)

With Blue Mitchell

Step Lightly (Blue Note, 1964)

With Oliver Nelson

Berlin Dialogue for Orchestra (Flying Dutchman, 1970)

With Dave Pike

Limbo Carnival (New Jazz, 1962)

With Lalo Schifrin

Lalo = Brilliance (Roulette, 1962)

Bossa Nova: New Brazilian Jazz (Audio Fidelity, 1962)

Samba Para Dos with Bob Brookmeyer (Verve, 1963)

With Richard Williams

New Horn in Town (Candid, 1960)

With Jimmy Witherspoon

Baby, Baby, Baby (Prestige, 1963)

With Antônio Carlos Jobim
 

The Composer of Desafinado Plays (Verve, 1963).