"C-Jam Blues"
Oscar Peterson - piano
Ray Brown - bass
Ed Thigpen - drums
Live in Denmark,1964
Oscar Peterson's official website:
Ed Thigpen's official website:
Showing posts with label Ray Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ray Brown. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Biographies: Ray Brown (~npr.org)
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 was born October 13, 1926, in Pittsburgh, PA -- birthplace to many jazz greats. 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.
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. 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.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Interviews: Ray Brown "Bass Quiz" ~jazzproffessional.com
Tell us about your bass, Ray.
The one I'm using on this tour is a small French bass made by Silvestre. It's about a 100 years old, violinshape with a swelled back. My best bass is an Italian around 200 years old. That's also violin–shaped, but with a flat back and it's a large bass. The machinehead keys are unusual because they are open through their centres.
What type of string setup do you favour?
It's according to what suits the particular instrument. On this bass, I have rope–cored steel strings. The Italian bass gives in best results with a gut G and D and a metal A and E. Lots of orchestral players use all metal strings: they're good for bowing. For pizzicato playing, the metal G and D b strings tend to cut into the fingers. I prefer the gut; they have a more flexible ‘feel’.
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