Ray Brown

Подробности

Raymond Matthews Brown (October 13, 1926–July 2, 2002) was an American jazz double bassist. He is considered by many one of the masters of his instrument, as he developed an almost perfect sense of timekeeping and had a hard swing feel to his lines.

Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one. With a vacancy in the high school jazz orchestra, he took up the double bass.

A major early influence on Brown's bass playing was the bassist in the Duke Ellington band, Jimmy Blanton. As a young man Ray Brown became steadily more well known in the Pittsburgh jazz scene, with his first experiences playing in bands with the Jimmy Hinsley Sextet and the Snookum Russel band. After graduating from high school, hearing stories about the burgeoning jazz scene on 52nd Street, in New York City, he bought a one way ticket to New York.

Arriving in New York at the age of twenty, he met up with Hank Jones, with whom he had previously worked, and was introduced to Dizzy Gillespie, who was looking for a bass player. Gillespie hired Brown on the spot and he soon played with such established musicians as Art Tatum and Charlie Parker.

From 1946 to 1951 he played in Gillespie's band. Brown, along with the vibraphonist Milt Jackson, drummer Kenny Clarke, and the pianist John Lewis formed the rhythm section of the Gillespie band, and their work together eventually led to the creation of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Around this time Brown was also appearing in Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, organised by Norman Granz. It was at these concerts that he met the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, whom he married in 1947. Together they adopted a child born to Fitzgerald's half-sister Frances, whom they christened Ray Brown, Jr. Fitzgerald and Brown divorced in 1952.

It was at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in 1949 that Brown first worked with the jazz pianist Oscar Peterson , in whose trio Brown would play from 1951 to 1966. After leaving the Trio he became a manager and promoter as well as a performer.

In 1966, he settled in Los Angeles where he was in high demand working for various television show orchestras. He also accompanied some of the leading artists of the day, including Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. He also managed his former musical partners, the Modern Jazz Quartet, as well as a young Quincy Jones, produced some shows for the Hollywood Bowl, wrote jazz double bass instruction books, and developed a jazz cello.

It was whilst in Los Angeles that he composed music for films and television shows. He was awarded his first Grammy for his composition, "Gravy Waltz", a tune which would later be used as the theme song for The Steve Allen Show.

From 1974 to 1982, Brown performed and recorded a series of albums with guitarist Laurindo Almeida, saxophonist and flutist Bud Shank, and drummer Shelly Manne (replaced by Jeff Hamilton after 1977) under the name The L.A. Four.

He also joined up with Jackson again to record the classic Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company (1983), featuring Jackson and Brown with J.J. Johnson on trombone, Tom Ranier on piano, guitarist John Collins, and drummer Roy McCurdy.

In the 1980s and 1990s he led his own trios and continued to refine his bass playing style. In his later years he recorded and toured extensively with pianist Gene Harris. In the early 1980s, he discovered Diana Krall in a restaurant in Nanaimo, British Columbia.

He continued to perform until his death; he died while taking a nap before a show in Indianapolis.

Discography (with Ray Brown as Leader)

* 1946 - New Sounds in Modern Music - (Savoy Records)
* 1956 - Bass Hit! - (Norgran Record)
* 1958 - This is Ray Brown - (Polygram)
* 1960 - Jazz Cello - (Verve Records)
* 1962 - Ray Brown with the All Star Band - (Verve Records)
* 1962 - Featuring Cannonball Adderley - (Verve Records)
* 1962 - Much in Common - with Milt Jackson - (Polygram)
* 1965 - Ray Brown with Milt Jackson - (Verve Records)
* 1972 - This One's for Blanton (Duke Ellington, Ray Brown) - (Original Jazz)
* 1974 - The Giants (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Joe Pass)- (Original Jazz Classics)
* 1975 - Hot Tracks (Herb Ellis and the Ray Brown Sextet)- (Concord Jazz)
* 1975 - Brown's Bag - (Concord Jazz)
* 1975 - Overseas Special - (Concord Jazz)
* 1975 - The Big 3 - (Pablo Records)
* 1977 - As Good as it Gets - (Concord Jazz)
* 1977 - Something for Lester - ((Japanese)
* 1979 - Tasty! - (Concord Jazz)
* 1979 - Live at the Concord Jazz Festival - (Concord Jazz)
* 1981 - Echoes from West - (Atlas)
* 1982 - Ray Brown, vol 3 - (Japanese)
* 1982 - Milt Jackson - Ray Brown Jam - (Pablo Records)
* 1984 - Soular Energy - (Groove Note/Concord Jazz)
* 1984 - One O'Clock Jump - (Verve Records)
* 1985 - Bye Bye Blackbird - (Paddle Wheel)
* 1985 - Don't Forget the Blues - (Concord Jazz)
* 1985 - The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio - (Concord Jazz)
* 1988 - Two Bass Hits - (Capri)
* 1988 - Bam Bam Bam - (Concord Jazz)
* 1989 - Georgia on My Mind - (LOB)
* 1990 - Moore Makes 4 - (Concord Jazz)
* 1990 - Summer Wind: Live at the Loa - (Concord Jazz)
* 1991 - 3 Dimensional: The Ray Brown Trio - (Concord Jazz)
* 1993 - Bassface - (Telarc)
* 1994 - Black Orpheus - (Evidence)
* 1994 - Don't Get Sassy - (Telarc)
* 1994 - Some of My Best Friends Are ... The Piano Players - (Telarc)
* 1995 - Seven Steps to Heaven - (Telarc)
* 1996 - Some of My Best Friends Are ... The Sax Players - (Telarc)
* 1996 - Live at Scullers - (Telarc)
* 1997 - SuperBass - (Telarc)
* 1998 - Some of My Best Friends Are ... Singers - (Telarc)
* 1998 - Summertime (Ray Brown Trio, Ulf Wakenius)- (Telarc)
* 1998 - Moonlight in Vermont - (Prevue)
* 1999 - Christmas Songs with The Ray Brown Trio - (Telarc)
* 2000 - Some of My Best Friends Are ... The Trumpet Players - (Telarc)
* 2000 - Blues for Jazzo - (Prevue)
* 2001 - Live at Starbucks - (Telarc)
* 2001 - SuperBass 2 - (Telarc)
* 2002 - In the Pocket (Herb Ellis/Ray Brown Sextet)- (Concord Jazz)
* 2002 - Some of My Best Friends Are ... Guitarists - (Telarc)
* 2006 - Bassics-the Best of the Ray Brown Trio 1997-2000 - (Concord Jazz)

Discography - Combos/As Co-Leader

* 1977 - Quadrant (Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, Mickey Roker, Joe Pass)- (Original Jazz Classics)
* 1977 - Rockin' In Rhythm (Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Jimmie Smith)- (Concord Jazz)
* 1990 - Uptown: Songs of Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington & Others (Andre Previn, Mundell Lowe, Ray Brown)- (Telarc)
* 1991 - Old Friends (Andre Previn)- (Telarc)
* 1995 - The More I See You (Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Ray Brown)- (Telarc)
* 1996 - Introducing Kristin Korb with the Ray Brown Trio - (Telarc)
* 1998 - Triple Play - (Telarc)
* 2000 - The Duo Sessions (As Good as It Gets & Tasty" - (Concord Jazz)
* 2002 - Triple Scoop - (Concord Jazz)
* 2002 - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - (Telarc)
* 2003 - Straight Ahead (Monty Alexander, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis)- (Concord Jazz)

Discography (Ray Brown as Sideman)

* 1952 - Lady Day (Billie Holiday)
* 1952 - Cosmopolite (Benny Carter, Oscar Peterson)
* 1953 - King of Tenors (Ben Webster)
* 1953 - Bounce Blues (Ben Webster)
* 1953 - Diz and Getz (Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz)
* 1954 - Music For Loving: Ben Webster with Strings (Ben Webster)
* 1956 - Ella and Louis (Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong)
* 1957 - The Poll Winners (Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne)
* 1961 - Oscar, Ray, and Milt: The Very Tall Band (Oscar Peterson Trio) - (Telarc)
* 1962 - Night Train (Oscar Peterson Trio)- (Polygram)
* 1963 - These Are the Blues (Ella Fitzgerald) (Verve)
* 1977 - Montreux '77 (Oscar Peterson)- (Original Jazz Classics)
* 1977 - Soaring (Barney Kessel, Jake Hanna)
* 1983 - Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company - (Original Jazz Classics)
* 1986 - King of America (Elvis Costello)- (Columbia)
* 1989 - After Hours: Jazz Standards - (Telarc)
* 1990 - Live at the Blue Note (Oscar Peterson)- (Telarc)
* 1990 - Last Call at the Blue Note (Oscar Peterson)- (Telarc)
* 1990 - Saturday Night at the Blue Note (Oscar Peterson)- (Telarc)
* 1990 - Encore at the Blue Note (Oscar Peterson)- (Telarc)
* 1994 - Santa's Bag: An All-Star Jazz Christmas - (Telarc)
* 1995 - Frank Morgan: Love, Lost & Found - (Telarc)
* 1998 - Oscar and Benny (Oscar Peterson, Benny Green)- (Telarc)
* 2003 - Walk On - (Telarc)
* 19?? - Jazz Showcase - (Telarc)
* 19?? - Jazz: Live from New York - (Telarc)
* 19?? - The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the Blue Note - (Telarc)