RAY BROWN

Grammy Award-winning double-bassist Ray Brown was a leader in defining the modern jazz rhythm section –In addition to being a first-rate soloist. His unique dynamic and innate sense of swing graced performances by Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson and countless others. 

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. His musical education began with piano lessons, but when he discovered how many pianists there were in his high school, Brown thought of switching to trombone, but could not afford a horn. The school orchestra needed a bass player and had an extra instrument. 

Ray Brown started his career in the 40s as founding member of Dizzy Gillespie/Charlie Parker Quintet. Later he became musical director and husband of Ella Fitzgerald and manager of Quincy Jones. For 16 years he was member of the Oscar Peterson Trio and regular bassist on Norman Grantz's "Jazz at the Philharmonic" tours. Ray Brown can be heard playing the bass on over 2000 recordings, which makes him one of the most recorded artists in music history.
   
Drawn to Duke Ellington tunes playing in the city's beer garden jukeboxes, Brown locked in on the bass lines of a legend: Jimmy Blanton (left). Ray would learn and practice those lines every day and while still in high school, he began plying his newfound trade in jazz clubs in and around Pittsburgh. 

After graduating, Brown hit the road with several big bands, but stories about 52nd Street in pages of Downbeat pushed him to buy a one-way ticket to New York. On his first night in the city, he bumped into a friend from the road, pianist Hank Jones, who introduced him to trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy was looking for a bass player and hired Brown on the spot.  
Listen to Brown describe his first rehearsal with Dizzy Gillespie 

That small group was breaking the new ground of bebop, but Gillespie still had a big band to fill out and Ray's sound, intensity and precision fit perfectly. Dizzy showcased the young bassist on the tune "One Bass Hit" with the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra.  
Joining Brown in the band's rhythm section: Milt Jackson on vibes, drummer Kenny Clarke and John Lewis on piano. The four musicians discovered a cool, comfortable chemistry, the signature of what became the Modern Jazz Quartet in 1952. 

But first, Ray met singer Ella Fitzgerald. He became her accompanist, musical director and in 1948, her husband. The union was short-lived and the couple divorced four years later. 

In 1949, Ray began an 18-year relationship with Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic. With JATP, saw Brown take the stage with Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Flip Phillips, Benny Carter and numerous others, including pianist Oscar Peterson on a fateful night at Carnegie Hall. 

When drummer Buddy Rich bowed out at the last minute, Brown and Peterson were suddenly a duo, and their connection made the music ring. Ray went on to play with the Oscar Peterson Trio for 15 years. 

"I don't think another group has achieved that closeness, that 'breathe together' bond that we had." 
-- Oscar Peterson  

In 1966, Brown settled in Los Angeles where he was soon in high demand working for various television show orchestras. He also accompanied some of the world's top singers including Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn and Nancy Wilson. He managed the young Quincy Jones, produced shows for the Hollywood Bowl, wrote bass instruction books, and developed a jazz cello. 
   
During the early 1970s, Ray got to fulfill a lifelong dream and work with Duke Ellington just prior to the legendary band leader's death. The two recorded a tribute album to Brown's boyhood idol, This One's for Blanton. 
 
In 1984, Ray formed a trio with pianist Gene Harris and drummer Jeff Hamilton. The group remained together for nine years recording several albums. In 1994, the young pianist Benny Green joined the trio and later another talented young musician, drummer Gregory Hutchinson joined the group. 

In addition to performing and recording, Brown was dedicated in his late career to passing on his knowledge and experience to new generations of talented musicians, becoming deeply involved in jazz education and mentoring. He received numerous jazz awards, including the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award. 

On Tuesday, July 2, 2002, Brown was in Indianapolis, Indiana for a gig. That afternoon, Ray indulged in his favorite activity outside of jazz: golf. It was said that if there wasn't a suitable course nearby, a club owner had little chance of booking the legendary bassist. After his round, Ray returned to his hotel to catch a brief nap before preparing to play that night. Ray Brown died in his sleep.

Biography

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. Brown became acquainted with singer Ella Fitzgerald when she joined the Gillespie band as a special attraction for a tour of the southern United States in 1947. The two married that year, and together they adopted a child born to Fitzgerald's half-sister Frances, whom they christened Ray Brown, Jr. Fitzgerald and Brown divorced in 1952.

Around this time Brown was also appearing in Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, organised by Norman Granz. 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. Between 1957 and 1959, he appeared on Blossom Dearie's first five recordings for Verve Records.

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 Milt 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.

Later years and death

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.

In 2003, Brown was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.

Discography (with Ray Brown as Leader)

New Sounds in Modern Music (1946), Savoy Records
Bass Hit! (1956), Norgran Record
This is Ray Brown (1958), Polygram
Jazz Cello (1960), Verve Records
Ray Brown with the All Star Band (1962), Verve Records
Featuring Cannonball Adderley (1962), Verve Records
Much in Common with Milt Jackson (1962), Polygram
Ray Brown with Milt Jackson (1965), Verve Records
This One's for Blanton (Duke Ellington, Ray Brown) (1972), Original Jazz
The Giants (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Joe Pass) (1974), Original Jazz Classics
Hot Tracks (Herb Ellis and the Ray Brown Sextet) (1975), Concord Jazz
Brown's Bag (1975), Concord Jazz
Overseas Special (1975), Concord Jazz
The Big 3 (1975), Pablo Records
As Good as it Gets (1977), Concord Jazz
Something for Lester (1977), (Japanese)
Tasty! (1979), Concord Jazz
Live at the Concord Jazz Festival (1979), Concord Jazz
Echoes from West (1981), Atlas
Ray Brown, vol 3 (1982), Japanese
Milt Jackson (1982), ay Brown Jam - (Pablo Records
Soular Energy (1984), Groove Note/Concord Jazz
One O'Clock Jump (1984), Verve Records
Bye Bye Blackbird (1985), Paddle Wheel
Don't Forget the Blues (1985), Concord Jazz
The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio[1] (1985), Concord Jazz
Two Bass Hits (1988), Capri
Bam Bam Bam[1] (1988), Concord Jazz
Georgia on My Mind (1989), LOB
Moore Makes 4 (1990), Concord Jazz
Summer Wind: Live at the Loa (1990), Concord Jazz
3 Dimensional: The Ray Brown Trio (1991), Concord Jazz
Bassface (1993), Telarc
Black Orpheus (1994), Evidence
Don't Get Sassy (1994), Telarc
Some of My Best Friends Are ... The Piano Players (1994), Telarc
Seven Steps to Heaven (1995), Telarc
Some of My Best Friends Are ... The Sax Players (1996), Telarc
Live at Scullers (1996), Telarc
SuperBass (1997), Telarc
Some of My Best Friends Are ... Singers (1998), Telarc
Summertime (Ray Brown Trio, Ulf Wakenius) (1998), Telarc
Moonlight in Vermont (1998), Prevue
Christmas Songs with The Ray Brown Trio (1999), Telarc
Some of My Best Friends Are ... The Trumpet Players (2000), Telarc
Blues for Jazzo (2000), Prevue
Live at Starbucks (2001), Telarc
SuperBass 2 (2001), Telarc
In the Pocket (Herb Ellis/Ray Brown Sextet) (2002), Concord Jazz
Some of My Best Friends Are ... Guitarists (2002), Telarc
Walk On (2003), Telarc
Live from New York to Tokyo (2003), Concord Jazz
Bassics: The Best of the Ray Brown Trio 1997-2000 (2006), Concord Jazz

Discography - Combos/As Co-Leader

Quadrant (1977) with Milt Jackson, Mickey Roker, Joe Pass, Original Jazz Classics
Rockin' In Rhythm (1977) with Hank Jones, Jimmie Smith, Concord Jazz
As Good as It Gets[2] (2000), Concord Jazz
Tasty[2] (1978) with Jimmy Rowles, Concord Jazz
Breakin' Out (1987) with George Shearing, Marvin Smith, Concord Jazz
Listen Here! (1989) with Gene Harris Quartet, Concord Jazz
Uptown: Songs of Harold Arlen, Duke Ellington & Others (1990) with Andre' Previn, Mundell Lowe, Telarc
Old Friends (1991) with Andre' Previn, Telarc
The More I See You (1995) with Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Telarc
Introducing Kristin Korb with the Ray Brown Trio (1996), Telarc
Triple Play (1998), Telarc
The Duo Sessions (2000) with Jimmy Rowles, Concord Jazz
Triple Scoop (2002), Concord Jazz
Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, & Russell Malone (2002), Telarc
Straight Ahead (2003) with Monty Alexander, Herb Ellis, Concord Jazz

Discography (Ray Brown as Sideman)

Lady Day (1952) with Billie Holiday
Cosmopolite (1952) with Benny Carter, Oscar Peterson
King of Tenors (1953) with Ben Webster
Bounce Blues (1953) with Ben Webster,
Diz and Getz (1953) with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz
Music For Loving: Ben Webster with Strings (1954) with Ben Webster
Ella and Louis (1956) with Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong
The Poll Winners (1957) with Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne
Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster (1957)
Blossom Dearie (1957)
Give Him the Ooh-La-La (1957)
Once Upon a Summertime (1958)
Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green (1959)
My Gentleman Friend (1959)
Oscar, Ray, and Milt: The Very Tall Band (1961) with Oscar Peterson Trio, Telarc
Night Train (1962, with Oscar Peterson Trio Polygram
These Are the Blues (1963) with Ella Fitzgerald, Verve
Montreux '77 (1977) with Oscar Peterson, Original Jazz Classics
Soaring (1977) with Barney Kessel, Jake Hanna, ???
Jackson, Johnson, Brown & Company (1983), Original Jazz Classics
King of America (1986) with Elvis Costello, Columbia
After Hours: Jazz Standards (1989), Telarc
The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the Blue Note (1990), Telarc
Last Call at the Blue Note (1990) with Oscar Peterson, Telarc
Saturday Night at the Blue Note (1990) with [[Oscar Peterson], Telarc
Encore at the Blue Note (1990) with Oscar Peterson, Telarc
Jazz Showcase (1994), Telarc
Santa's Bag: An All-Star Jazz Christmas (1994), Telarc
Frank Morgan: Love, Lost & Found (1995), Telarc
Oscar and Benny (1998) with Oscar Peterson, Benny Green, Telarc
Jazz: Live from New York (2001), Telarc

References

Ray Brown Jazz Profile at NPR.org
Shipton, Alyn. "Groovin' High: The Life of Dizzy Gillespie", Oxford University Press, USA : 1999 Diana Krall biography page at Hopper Management