The Epic of Black Music
Memories of Ray Brown
Ray Brown in Berlin (Germany).
© Popow/ullstein bild via Getty Images
By: Joe Farmer Follow
6 mins
Twenty years ago, African-American bassist Ray Brown died at the age of 75.
This jazz gentleman had crossed the 20th century in contact with the great figures of yesteryear.
Husband of the famous Ella Fitzgerald, he distinguished himself by her side on stage and on record but was also a luxury accompanist with Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington or Oscar Peterson, among others. The story of his life is an essential heritage testimony.
Our archives have preserved it to this day.
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When Ray Brown was born in 1926, it was the beginning of the swing era in the United States.
The big bands make America dance and some conductors already stand out, notably Duke Ellington who will become a pianist and composer of international renown.
The little Raymond Matthews Brown will therefore grow up listening to this hectic jazz that we appreciate in the family home.
The sound environment in which Ray Brown evolved during his youth encouraged him to become a musician.
It was trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie who gave him his chance and, very quickly, Ray Brown showed certain aptitudes for melodic interpretation on the double bass.
We are at the dawn of the 1950s and his tastes are already asserting themselves.
He draws inspiration from his contemporaries and gradually realizes that his game is based on the teachings of his elders.
"
When I was a kid, I had a lot of idols and I had the privilege of being able to play with some of them.
I listened to records by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, and a few years later I was playing alongside them.
When I was little, Count Basie came to give a concert with his great orchestra in my hometown.
I must have been 9 or 10 years old.
He stayed two months in a large hotel in Pittsburgh where he played in the afternoon, at tea time, and in the evening for the white bourgeoisie of the time who slept in the dance halls.
After school, I rushed to this hotel and stayed for hours next to Count Basie's piano to listen to this orchestra that fascinated me.
There were the cream of jazz musicians of the time: guitarist Freddie Green, drummer Jo Jones,
bassist Walter Page, trumpeter Harry Sweets Edison, saxophonist Lester Young.
Who could have said that I find myself playing with them years later?
I am therefore proud to be able to say that I have often come into contact with the great figures of the Epic of black music.
I, for example, recorded an entire album with Duke Ellington.
And one of my greatest memories on stage was playing alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
It was the greatest thrill of my life."
record an entire album with Duke Ellington.
And one of my greatest memories on stage was playing alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
It was the greatest thrill of my life."
record an entire album with Duke Ellington.
And one of my greatest memories on stage was playing alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
It was the greatest thrill of my life."
(Ray Brown on Joe Farmer's microphone)
Ella Fitzgerald in concert, with drummer Lee Young, bassist (and husband) Ray Brown and pianist Hank Jones, in 1948 in Los Angeles.
© Michael Ochs Archives/Getty images
Conversing with Ray Brown was an opportunity to delve into the history of jazz.
However, he didn't just want to look into the past.
For him, the cultural heritage from the African-American community should be pampered and constantly magnified.
Ray Brown had so many human and professional qualities that he became a major player in the preservation of an art to which he would dedicate his entire life.
His expertise was unchallenged.
His advice was valuable and always considered.
Hadn't he scoured the stages of the whole world enough to allow himself a definitive opinion on this or that form of expression?
When Ray Brown spoke, you just had to shut up and listen.
"
I really want to bring this music to life.
I want to pass it on to young people.
They must learn to cherish it.
It is a mission for each of us.
Your image as an artist is of little importance, but your mark must resist the erosion of time.
Musical revolutions don't happen very often.
Who are the real innovators?
You can count them on the fingers of your hand.
Take, for example, trumpeters.
The real creators are Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and maybe Wynton Marsalis.
In the space of a century, we've only had four or five real innovators.
All the other trumpeters are only inspired by these four or five absolute virtuosos.
All this to tell you that there are not so many revolutionary musicians.
There are a few geniuses who stand out but all the others are just heirs.
I'm sure there will be other great musicians in the future but we won't see them popping up every 10 minutes.
Those you believe to be stars are created by the media, newspapers, televisions and radios.
Their image is totally prefabricated and their value remains to be proven".
(Ray Brown – November 1996)
Some Ray Brown albums released in the 90s. © Telarc Records
Ray Brown left us on July 2, 2002, 20 years ago, at the age of 75.
He had decided to take a nap before a concert in Indianapolis.
He never woke up.
One of his main disciples is called Christian McBride.
He is fully aware of the weight of the heritage.
"
Whether I like it or not, I will carry the tradition of jazz within me.
I don't have to play like Ray Brown or evolve in the traditional formation of the trio as he did.
On the other hand, it is my duty to make known who Ray Brown was and it is not by reproducing his repertoire that I will make him better known.
Frank Sinatra did not seek to carry on the tradition of Bing Crosby, he created his own identity.
Ray Brown has not only followed in the footsteps of Jimmy Blanton, he has forged his culture.
I work the same way even if, as long as I can, I will say how much Ray Brown meant to me and influenced the art of double bass and jazz in general".
(Christian McBride on RFI – 2003) .
Ray Brown (l) and pianist Hank Jones, July 24, 2001, in New York.
© Vanina Lucchesi/AFP
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