Ray Brown remembrance
Ray Brown, one of the legendary jazz bassists of our time, has a personal remembrance piece from NPR Jazz. From his work with Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and many other jazz greats, Brown has always stood out from the crowd with his melodic style and walking bass lines. As the article author remembers Brown’s performance: “For a 75-year-old veteran, let’s just say he hardly played like a 75-year-old. Brown had amazing dexterity and precise confidence in his walking and solos. The lines perfectly outlined the chords Fuller was playing on the piano with skillful economy—each note was just perfectly placed.”
You can see the complete NPR article for details on the author’s personal experience with Brown, how he was “a truly gracious, genuine man, even with two strangers he’d never met.” We all benefit from his legacy.
If you haven’t seen him before, you can check out his performance of “Black Orpheus” here:
