 Cerulean Blue's Profile |
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| Last Login: | Jun 21, 2009 (155 days back) |
About Me |
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Cerulean Blue is a collaboration between John and I, two jazz lovers who fell in love, while he was teaching my children piano lessons, and patiently charming me, their single mother. He calls me his Rachel because as he says, that process took nearly seven years! After we married, I realized John's circle of influence included many of the finest jazz musicians in the Intermountain West. I also realized because John was so gifted, kind and reliable, thay all respected him and loved him. Suddenly my foremost passion became to pull all these men together and help John form the finest jazz collective in the city. Cerulean Blue was born. Cerulean Blue has been In existence for almost as long as our marriage. I know the marriage will last, and with all of the patronage we're getting I have high hopes for the band too. We have performed at the Woods on 9th and we were on Fox 13 News, and immediately we became their band of preference. We are also a favorite at many other wedding venues. We have performed a Motown Wedding at La Caille, at the Canyons Resort, and at a roaring twenties party for the Chamber of Commerse at the Perry Hotel. We can play in almost any conceivable style with a little lead and practice time to prepare. We have also performed In the area's finest restaurants: at the Riverhorse Cafe in Park City, The Christopher at the Peery Hotel, The Pine on 4500 So; we did a company Christmas party at Thanksgiving Point and we've also perfomed in Heber, Bountiful, and Ogden. John has performed as a solo jazz artist too many times to mention them all, as well as accompanying singers and dancers in the Salt Lake area for years. Recently he has done this for Children's Dance Theater, and the U of U modern Dance Department. He has performed at The Country Club, The Grand America, Little America, Northpoint Condominiums, The Spicy Lady in Heber, the Lion House, and at Snowbasin Ski Resort. Thank for taking the time to find out about us, I hope to be hearing from you, or meeting you in the future! Samye Cummings Wright A special thanks to Kent Rigby from Midnight Records at 127 South Main Street in Salt Lake City for the hours of work he has given us to make this myspace page possible. Kent is awesome, and we really appreciate all of his hard work and professional advice and consideration. John Wright says: Since there is so much room here at the bottom I have decided to put in some autobiographical information for the benefit of my friends and fans. I was born in Summit, New Jersey on June 16th 1962. My first home was in Mountainside, New Jersey. When I was three we moved to Readington, New Jersey. I started piano lessons at an early age, and continued with my studies until in high school, which I went to from 1976-1980. After completing the 3rd grade our family moved to Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. I started 4th grade at Lincoln Akerman School. All this time I kept playing the piano, and I kept going to more and more advanced music. Finally I was playing Beethoven, Bach, and Rachmaninoff. But my most influential teacher came along when I was in about 6th grade and his name was Thomas Gallant. He had played with some of the biggest names in jazz like Sonny Stitt, and he taught me to play the Bill Evans tension chords that use 9ths and 13ths. At first I did not like the sound of them since it was something new, but after a while I grew to like the sound. Now it is the bread and butter of what I do. One of my biggest musical influences in high school was Barry Danielain. You can find out about him at www.barrydanielian.com. We used to play in the jazz band together at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire from 1978-1980. We did some other gigs, like when we played in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a gig and we didn't get home until 4am, and another time we played at the Oar House Restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Another time we played at the "Shell" at Hampton Beach. That is an outdoor venue right near the beach. Barry has gone on to fame and fortune as you can see if you go to his website. To continue with the autobiographical information, after a good experience playing with a very good high school jazz band that had Barry Danielian, and after taking lessons with Thomas Gallant all the way until I was about a senior in high school, and also going to music summer camp at University of New Hampshire two years in a row, I had a good foundation in jazz for starting at Brigham Young University. When I graduated from Winnacunnet High School in Hampton in 1980 I really only had one college that I wanted to go to and that was BYU. I went out to Provo, Utah, and I auditioned for the jazz band there. I was not accepted into the top band, but I was used to that because whenever I did not go to the top right away it just made me work harder. So I practiced a lot when I wasn't studying, and I improved while at BYU. After a year of BYU it was time to go on my mission. Please go to the best website in the world and it is www.lds.org Like all of the other young men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I had no idea where they would send me, and I got to go to Taiwan and speak Chinese every day. Chinese can be a hard language to learn if you think about it that way. Or it can be a fun language to learn if you just take it in very small steps and keep a good attitude about slow growth. I still have quite a few Chinese materials and I study them when I have time, particularly at the dance studio where I play. I lived in four cities when I was in Taiwan. I lived in Tainan first, which is a very old city that has a big gate that the Dutch explorers built there way back in the 1600s. After that moved south to Kaohsiung, which is a huge city in the south. To provide a nice contrast I next lived way up north Ching Hsui. This is a little town that had all of the contrast of a more country atmosphere, and I loved it there. The Church membership was very small in that town, as compared to the big congregation in Kaohsiung. Finally the last town I lived in was Hsiou Gang, and that was right by the airport in the south. At each town I lived in on my mission I met some wonderful people, and I have good memories from each place. As we went from door to door I got to see how many people live their lives, and it was really a world education. I also taught English classes because there are many people who do not want to join the LDS Church, but they are very eager to learn English, and it was one way that we could serve people. After my mission I returned home to BYU and went there for another year. That was when I first started to play for dance classes. I played for dance classes at BYU, and it has been a long source of income for me right until the present day which is July 24th 2008. By this time I had gone to BYU for two years. I was ready to try something new, so I went to electronics school now. One of my most influential professors at electronics school was Eugene Lindley. He had been an electronics tech on a submarine, and he had lots of interesting stories. Electronics school was hard, but one thing that made it fun was playing on the basketball team. I played in the final game of the season and made a three pointer. That was in Vermont. The way I trained was to shoot 500 or 1000 baskets, give or take some depending on how much time I had, with my dog Pippi. I would throw sticks and shoot baskets. That is when the Celtics were very good in 1985-1987, and they gave me plenty of inspiration. I even went down to Boston during the victory parade in 1986 and touched Kevin McHale's hand as he reached down from the truck to touch the fans. The training paid off because I made that three pointer in the last game of the season. I still love to shoot baskets by the hundreds, and I go to Gold's Gym by my house sometimes to do that. After I graduated from electronics school I worked for a year for Simplex Wire and Cable in Newington, New Hampshire. We tested TAT-8, which was the first undersea Atlantic fiber optic cable. That was an interesting job, and I worked the night shift. The reason I chose to work the night shift is so that I could go to church on Sunday morning. We were attending church at that time in the Odd Fellow's Hall in Hampton, New Hampshire. That is an interesting place, but unfortunately it burned to the ground. Now there is a nice chapel in Exeter, New Hampshire to go to. I remember bike trips to Exeter when I was growing up in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, and when I rode my bike past that place it was just an open field, and I never would have imagined that it would someday be the stake center. After I worked for Simplex Wire and Cable I got married for the first time, and went with my new wife to BYU again for the third time. Once again I was taking math and engineering classes. Actually, the first two times I was doing some other things, but I always took math classes. My grandfather Jay Wright got a masters in physics, and I have always wanted to carry on the family tradition and be a math expert, and on top of that my father got a chemical engineering degree. This third time at BYU I did not even take one music class, because I was so focused on the engineering degree. But when my first wife became very weak due to the birth of my first son Samuel I decided that it was time to join the Air Force to get more economic power in life, and to help her with our new baby. I went to basic training and my assignment was to be a Korean Linguist. I went to Air Force Korean school in Monterey California, and after four months they decided I was not the type of talent they wanted for that job, so I was reassigned to Las Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base. My first day on the job I was on the roof of the Thunderbirds jet hangar fixing the roof. My days in the Air Force consisted of things like fixing locks, doing carpentry projects, fixing roofs, and doing concrete work. Since my job required motivation and concentration, it was here that I first became totally dedicated to reading the Book of Mormon at least a half hour a day. I found that if I did that my day went better, and I was motivated and excited to do my jobs, even if they could be dull or boring. I always remember my days in the Air Force if I think I am too busy to read the Book of Mormon. I was only on the base a few weeks when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and I found myself on a jet over to the Persian Gulf area. I continued my diligent study of the Book of Mormon, even in a house overcrowded with soldiers. One person I talked to a lot said to me "There's that damn book" but I don't care because I love to read it and it is a great conversation starter. One time in church I gave a talk, and I called it "The Secret To Happiness Is To Ask Yourself Who In The Book Of Mormon You Are Acting Like" and I still really believe that. Well, because my first wife was weak I was able to come home early from the First Gulf War in 1990, and we really enjoyed that place because we lived right down the road from the Las Vegas Temple. We also enjoyed the buffets and sights of Las Vegas. I am happy to report that I never gambled even 25 cents when I was in Las Vegas. It is possible to do, and I was there three years. I just knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is against gambling, and I didn't want to do it. Sometimes my fellow soldiers in the Air Force would ask me to play cards with them, and I would say "An orthodox Mormon doesn't play cards" and I could save all of that time that would have been spent at the card table. While I was in Las Vegas our second son Matthew was born. Now we were a small family with two boys. I was given a pacemaker in the Air Force, so I went to go live in Salt Lake City. I have lived in Salt Lake City since 1993. When I was in Salt Lake City I took classes at the University of Utah and at the Salt Lake Community College. I also took some music classes at the U of U. So now my education accomplishments were an associates degree in electronics that allowed me to work at the fiber optics company and to get more money for a salary in the Air Force, and also I had some engineering, music, and computer classes done at the U of U, BYU, and SLCC. We had two girls born to our family in Salt Lake City, so now we were a family of four children. I worked a year testing concrete because I did not feel good about spending huge amounts of time studying due to my first wife's weak condition. Finally in 2001 she went to go live by her mother, and I remarried to Samye Cummings. Many of you have had Cummings Chocolates, and she is from the family that makes those. By this time I had formed two bands called Nevertheless and Cerulean Blue, and I had released several CDs, some done professionally with artwork too. My first CD was called "Eternal Journey of Love" and it was about 45 minutes long and pure improvisation like the Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett. My second CD was called "Highly Favored" and it was also an improvisation, but this time I worked with a drummer who also improvised with me. My third CD was called "First Things First" and it was a jazz trio with drums and bass. Notice that each CD added one more instrument. After that I did some CDs with bands, singers, and two more solo CDs, but the artwork has not been done on them, except for another CD called "Hopeful Day" which is a collection of 17 original songs that I wrote. So, one day these will all be collector's items, but now they are out of print until public demand calls for them. I just noticed that I have some more space here for biographical information, so I will tell about some random things I have done in my life. I have hiked a few high mountains. I went on a 50 mile hike with the boy scouts and we climbed a lot of the high mountains in the White Mountains including Mt. Washington. That was an interesting memory to have. Another mountain I have climbed is Mt. Timpanogus in Utah. I climbed that in the fall of 1980 when I went to BYU. My son Samuel just climbed Mt. Olympus here in Utah. I have looked at that many times but never climbed it. To me, mountains are like goals. Some of the goals I have for my life are first of all to learn some more math and music. I have a book of 1191 calculus problems I have been meaning to do for many years. I just started taking guitar lessons and that will definitely be a mountain to climb. The reason I want to take guitar lessons is that I could teach guitar along with all of my piano students, and also I have some guitar music around the house that would be fun to work on. Some other personal goals I have are to learn jazz piano better. Even though I have reached the level where I can do a lot of gigs there is a much deeper level to learn it where I become more aware of what the masters are doing like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Keith Jarrett, as well as Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, and others. Another goal I have is to learn more about my geneology. I have a lot of my pedigree charts done due to some hard work by relatives and others, but there is a lot more to do. I am a triple great grandson of Brigham Young, and that is my most famous ancestor. But I want to spend a lot of effort in this area to completely put the family together on paper. These are a list of my fathers and grandfathers if you want to know if you are related to me. I am John Wright, born in 1962 in Summit, New Jersey. My father David William Wright was born 1933 in Salt Lake City. My grandfather Jay William Wright was born in Salt Lake City too. His father James Wardrop Wright comes next, and that is followed by Abraham Reister Wright Jr., who was one of Brigham Young's carpenters on the Salt Lake Temple. His father was Abraham Reister Wright Sr., and he was the first Wright to be buried in the City Cemetary in Salt Lake City. I have been to all of these graves in the City Cemetary in Salt Lake City. Before that you have to go back to Philadelphia and Maryland, and then you go to England. The father of Abraham Reister Wright Sr. was William Emory Wright from New Baltimore, Maryland. So that is and example of some of the geneology that I have at my reach. That is only one line, and I could tell a lot about some of the other lines like the Lewis Family that came out in handcarts with the Bunker Handcart Company, and even though they were coal miners in Wales they became farmers in Bountiful, Utah. I just love geneology and family history, and I just can't get enough of it. I have another goal to write an autobiography, and I need to really get going on that. So life is full of goals that we set, and some we reach and others we do not reach, but we have to have goals all the same. |
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My Interests |
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Music:Member Since: 07/02/2008Band Website: ceruleanbluemusic.com Band Members:
If you are a fan, musician or band member and you want to be interactive with John Wright or the band you can go to our new website which is John's music can at times be electric, and energizing, at others quizically quirky, at best so sweetly emotive and passionate it pierces your heart. Above all it is John's. It comes from within, where all true artistry resides and needs to be communicated from. He is also one of the most, patient, kind an generous men you will ever meet. In his presence not only creative freedom and art for his musical group flourishes, but hope and love for every person that he touches. We hope we can help you partake of these gifts he has offered us, and then share them with others. As for John's credentials and background, he studied classical piano from a young age in New Jersey and New Hampshire, mastering difficult pieces by Bach, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff. In high school John began studying with his most influential teacher the late Mr. Thomas Gallant who was the head of the jazz program at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. There John began to unravel the mysteries of Bill Evans piano voicings, and soon he won scholarships to the University of New Hampshire summer youth music school. By this time John was gigging professionally in New Hampshire with his friend Barry Danielian. Barry has gone on to become one of the most sought after trumpet players on the New York City and world scene. He recently played on the Tony Bennett album. You can go to www.barrydanielian.com for more details. After performing frequently and studying jazz in high school John went on to Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, playing there in the jazz combos and big bands. John has had some interesting world experiences, traveling to Taiwan and speaking Mandarin Chinese every day on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which he still practices and is quite fluent in. Also traveling to Saudi Arabia while in the Air Force as an airman, and guarding the stealth bombers just miles away from Yemen. Now John actually makes a living as a full time musician, accompanying dancers and vocalists, teaching, and gigging on the Utah jazz scene. Every year one of John's favorite gigs is leading a trio at the reception for the sponsors of the Utah Arts Festival. As you might guess we would love to help you fill any of your musical needs large or small. Be it a wedding, dinner, party, social, reunion anniversary, or concert, our band members have up to twenty years of experience and professionalism behind them. From a solo piano, to a singer with a trio, to a full nine or more piece dance band. We can do it all! Just call Samye at 277-2213 or 209-8952. I'm the band mom, one of our singers, marketing director, roadie, number 1 groupie, and over all coordinator for the band. John just calls me "Wendy and the Lost Boys." That's a very good description. John has also built a reputation as one of the few piano teachers in the area specializing in jazz instruction. I have personally witnessed the wonderful results he achieves with students of all age and ability ranges from beginner to expert. He can teach in the classical style and of course, specalizes in Jazz, but also can include popular, Latin, Celtic, or almost any style a student may wish to incorporate into their repitoir. John prefers to have all of his students able to read advanced music as well as jazz lead sheets. He teaches at several studios, and when circumstances permit he travels to homes for an additional travel fee. His favorite place to teach though is his home in Holladay. John teaches for Amadeus Music, Melody Studios, and Teacher Connection. These three companies are on the internet. John also teaches in these three studios around town for your convenience: The Utah Music Conservatory at both Kimball Junction and Foothill Blvd and The Salt City Studios on 1700 S 301 E. You can call him at home at 801-277-2213 and on his cell phone 801-652-4540. or talk to me his lovely wife at 209-8952 cell. He teaches early mornings, some late mornings, afternoons and early evenings! Call him today for more information on this exellent teacher and his teaching techniqies. He is now taking students!
Sherm and John have been working together since 2001. They are fast friends. He is a staff member of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church. He calls it the University of Gospel Music. Sherm has a strong classical and symphonic background with a degree from the U of U, and advanced Training at the University of Texas. He also has taught the stand up bass, guitar and violin up to the college level. With his background as a skilled song writer, orchestrator and leader, Sherm adds so much to Cerulean Blue. Sherm's musical style is sparklining, melodic, and witty. Look for hidden "quotes" or melodies from other songs in Sherms solos, Sherm also sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for six years. He fits this all in around being the father of ten children.
Drums - Ian Camp, Lynn Brown, Jamie Dalton, Kristin Cannon, Ken Breinholt, Andrew, and Jeremy Brown
When Jamie enters the room the energy begins. This man loves music, loves drums, loves jazz. Busy as a full time father with full time job and high level church calling for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints, this man still gets out to practice for a gig or two a week and even perform! Jamie started playing the drum at nine and played in the U of U Big Band, and combos during his college years. His influences have included Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones, Monk, and Coltrone. All the musicians we know in the Innter-mountain West,think Jamie is one ove the best, we agree. His drum solos leave us Breathless.
Flute - Ben Spigle Many years of concentrating solely on flute in the jazz arena allows Ben to bring a warm and rich sound to the combo. This warmth crosses over into his personality: quiet, but strong, dependable always able to be counted on no matter what. Ben is our very good friend. Ben's classical training gives him a mastery of flute technique that is used in service of a lyrical style that has be become the Cerulean Blue "sound". Ben has played consistently with several jazz combos and also folk/ehnic groups around the valley. Ben's sight reading is phenomenal and allows him to play in many styles. He has even been known to blow through a Jethro Tull cover or two. Ben's flute solos have become one of the signitures of our group. Trumpet - Anthony Phan
Anthony Phan is our intercontinental travelor, Also a gifted Keyboarder, Anthony has played concerts in the Ukraine, Austria, Spain, and France. He is presently working on Three albums is playing in three diferent Jazz combos. He sights His influenses as too broad to be enumerated but he is espesially fond of, and says his style is a mixture of Miles Davis, Chet Baker, And Jimmie Hendrilx, Just not any one with the last name Brooks Please! Anthony is a big man with a bigger heart. Soft Spoken with a mournfully soulfull trumpet style. His solos keep us mesmerized.
Rob Bennion played professionally in Japan, and you can see him playing with us on some gigs, like the one we did in June '08 at the Sheraton. It was exciting to be playing in the same room that on other nights all of the famous musicians that tour for the GAM Foundation play in. Just a few steps up and we can tour the world too!!!!! Warren Trulson played with us when Dominic was singing. Warren is a great player, and he also drinks Kangen Water. Thomas Richey is very active on the local music scene. Listen for his great guitar playing fills on our song on this page called "My Favorite Things." Thomas has a Celtic band that plays in Las Vegas. Vocals - Dominic Quin-Harkin Dominic sings the song on this page called "I've Got You Under My Skin."
Please go to Dominic's page under our top friends to learn about this great entertainer.
Vocals - Emily Stevenson
You can hear Emily's singing on the song on this page called "Summertime."
We really appreciate her help in the band.
Emily runs the business "Occasions For Music." Please check out her page called "Emily Anne" and the business page "Occasions For Music".
Vocals- Wendy Bradshaw Samye Cummings Wright sees Cerulean Blue as a reality. When Samye married John she became his marketing agent, and also the band mother, vocalist, roadie, and number one groupie. Her qualifications for the job are almost having a degree in art at the University of Utah, and three years of post-graduate training with LaConte Stewart. She is the mother of four and was brought up by a a father who was crazy about jazz. Samye then married this incredible jazz pianist. She guesses this just landed her the job. These people have come into her life and become like family. She just wants to keep making a difference in their lives. Influences: Miles, Chick Corea, Bird, Trane Sounds Like: We have such an original sound that it really sounds like Cerulean Blue. Where else can you find jazz flute, baritone sax, and great vocalists. This is a one of a kind band!!!! Record Label: Unsigned Type of Label: Unsigned |
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My Background and Lifestyle |
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| Occupation: | Music Artist (Jazz / Bossa Nova / Other) |
My Blog |
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Sometimes I play original compositions |
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| Hi this is John Wright and my composition "Canyon Princess" is a big hit. I do mostly covers of famous music, but original music is like an endless gold mine yet to be discovered. Ex... Posted by on Sat, 24 May 2008 06:36:00 GMT |
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