Jazz Articles about Ray Brown

Brown/Alexander/Griffin/Drew: Summer Wind

by Rob Mariani
August 4, 2005

This is a collaboration of giants who swing so hard and with such incomparable assuredness that you simply cannot sit still when they are playing. And it all starts with Ray Brown. His huge, woody double-bass sound is unmistakable, as is his impeccable time feeling. So much has been written about this incredible musician; on this particular CD he lives up to every one of his greatest accolades. Ray Brown defines swinging in 4/4 time and will always be one ...

Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra

by Ollie Bivens
December 26, 2004

Recorded in '59 and just reissued on CD, this homage is described by pianist Oscar Peterson as “not only a tribute to Frank Sinatra but also my emotional interpretation of the feeling I get when I hear him." The album was part of a popular five album songbook set of the music of various songwriters and singers, all recorded in the same year.Smartly and very concisely arranged by Peterson, all the tunes on A Jazz Portrait of Frank ...

Ray Brown: Walk On

by Terrell Kent Holmes
October 4, 2004

Ray Brown (1926-2002) played the bass the same way he lived: with style, a peerless vivacity and a boundless generosity of spirit. Unlike most bass players, when Brown was at the helm the listener always had the sense of his being a true leader, not merely a timekeeper and occasional soloist. The final testament to his brilliance is Walk On , a two-disc set featuring his last studio recordings, with pianist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Karriem Riggins and previously unreleased ...

Ray Brown: The Telarc Years

by Franz A. Matzner
October 28, 2003

Born October 13, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, preeminent jazz bassist Ray Brown passed away on July 2, 2002. His career as one of jazz’s foremost players spanned 58 years and has left a recording legacy of literally thousands of albums. His career began early, as a bebopper with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, and continued from that auspicious start at an always remarkable level of excellence. As a member of the famed Oscar Peterson Trio, Brown toured tirelessly for over ...

Jimmy Giuffre 3: The Easy Way

by Joshua Weiner
October 14, 2003

Jimmy Giuffre's jazz has got to be among the sparsest ever laid down; you can see a whole lot of daylight between the notes. But the sketch-like quality of his music belies a quiet intensity that has an almost hypnotic attraction. This is not jazz that jumps out at you and grabs you by the lapels. It is, rather, jazz that trickles out in droplets, coalescing into music midway between the eardrum and the subconscious. For those who have come ...

Ray Brown: Walk On

by Franz A. Matzner
October 6, 2003

Ray Brown’s music needs no introduction. Just as the liner notes to Walk On state, no one played bass like Ray Brown. Even if you don’t know it, you’re probably already aware of his work, for Brown stands as one of the most recorded jazz musicians of our times. His career spanned five decades. He weathered every major stylistic change in jazz’s tumultuous and rapid development, remaining a constant figure as leader, sideman, composer, and bass master. ...

Ray Brown Trio: Walk On

by Ollie Bivens
August 25, 2003

Recorded in January 2000, Walk On was the latest release by bassist Ray Brown before his passing in July 2002. Maynard Ferguson once remarked that he was attracted to jazz because jazz musicians always seemed to enjoy what they were playing. The sense of joy is present throughout Walk On.

“America the Beautiful” begins with Brown playing that most-famous melody on bass. Suddenly, Geoffrey Keezer and Karriem Riggins join in with kinetic piano and drum improvisations, leaving the melody behind ...