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Ray Brown, 1926-2002
In Ray Brown's hands, the double bass provided more than a percussive pulse -- it sang. Brown took up the instrument in high school and developed his technique by emulating the performance style of Duke Ellington's legendary bassist, Jimmy Blanton. Hired by Dizzy Gillespie for his big band in 1946, Brown quickly proved his mettle with a memorable solo on the jaunty number "One Bass Hit." He met Ella Fitzgerald while touring with Gillespie and served briefly as her musical director following their marriage in 1947. After leaving Gillespie's band, Brown helped to found what later became the Modern Jazz Quartet; he also began his association with impresario Norman Granz's "Jazz at the Philharmonic." It was through JATP that Brown was first teamed with the great jazz pianist Oscar Peterson -- an encounter that led to Brown's fruitful tenure (1951–66) as a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio. |