Jazz Unlimited for Sunday, August 16 will be “The Career of Ray Brown.” Oscar Peterson introduced him as “The Relentless Ray Brown.” He was born in Pittsburgh in 1926 and began piano lessons at age eight. When he got to high school, he began playing bass with Jimmy Blanton as his major influence. He went to New York in at the age of 20. He was soon invited to a rehearsal and the musicians there included Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Al Haig and Max Roach. Dizzy hired him on the spot and Ray never looked back. He participated in 900 recording sessions, 75 as a leader. In his 57-year career, Ray Brown always made the musicians he played with better by his pushing them to greater heights. We will hear highlights of his career with the greatest musicians of his time, including Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Herb Ellis, Count Basie, Stuff Smith, Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Phineas Newborn, Jr., Lionel Hampton, Elvin Jones. Buddy Rich, Monty Alexander, Milt Jackson, Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Hank Jones, Geoff Keezer, Benny Green, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae.
The Slide Show contains my photographs of some of the musicians heard on this show.
The Archive of this show will be available until the morning of August 31, 2015.
Here is the Ray Brown Trio of Gene Harris (p) Ray Brown (b) and Jeff Hamilton (d) playing "Summertime" in 1988
