Ray Brown – Biography, Discography & Instruments

Biography

Ray Brown was a jazz musician who played trumpet, double bass, bass instrument and cello. Ray Brown was born on 13 October 1926 in Pittsburgh and died on 2 July 2002 in Indianapolis. The music is usually filed under jazz, bebop and classical music. Record labels: Verve Records and Concord Records. The discography here lists 30 albums, from “Bass Hit!” (1957) to “Jazz Cello” (2003). Honours include NEA Jazz Masters and Paul Acket Award.

Raymond Matthews Brown (October 13, 1926 – July 2, 2002) was an American jazz double bassist, known for his extensive work with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald. He was also a founding member of the group that would later develop into the Modern Jazz Quartet.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Bass Hit! 1957 · Verve With The All-Star Big Band 1962 · Verve Ray Brown / Milt Jackson 1965 · Verve That's the Way It Is 1969 · Live · impulse! Brown's Bag 1976 · Concord Jazz As Good as It Gets 1978 · Concord Jazz Summerwind 1981 · Jeton Musikverlag This Is Ray Brown 1981 · Verve A Ray Brown 3 1983 · Concord Jazz One O'Clock Jump 1953 1983 · Verve The 20th Concord Festival All Stars 1989 · Live · Concord Jazz

I'm Walking 1990

Moonlight Serenade 1990 · Bell Records Something for Lester 1991 Super Bass 1992 · Capri Records Ray Brown's New Two Bass Hits 1994 Bass Face 1995 · Paddle Wheel Some of My Best Friends Are...... the Piano Players 1995 · Telarc Jazz Tasty! 1995 · Concord Jazz SuperBass 1997 · Live · Telarc Jazz Moonlight Serenade 1998 · Jeton Some of My Best Friends Are... the Trumpet Players 2000 · Telarc Jazz Summerwind II 2000 · Jeton SuperBass 2 2001 · Live · Telarc Surround Two Bass Hits 2001 Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone 2002 · Telarc Jazz Cello 2003 · Verve Autumn Leaves · Collecting Records OMP Live in Japan · Live With My Friends Herb Ellis & Serge Ermoll

Also plays on

Albums where Ray Brown is credited as a sideman

1946	Bird & Pres at JAPT — Bird & Pres	double bass
1950	Dinah Washington — Dinah Washington	bass
1950	James Moody, His Saxophone and His Band — James Moody	bass
1951	Modern Jazz Trumpets — Fats Navarro, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham	double bass
1952	Billie Holiday Sings — Billie Holiday	double bass, bass
1952	Solitude — Billie Holiday	double bass
1952	Plays Pretty — Oscar Peterson	double bass
1952	Modern Jazz Quartet — Modern Jazz Quartet	double bass
1953	The Astaire Story — Fred Astaire	double bass, bass guitar, bass
1953	An Evening With Billie Holiday — Billie Holiday	double bass
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays George Gershwin — Oscar Peterson	double bass
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Cole Porter — Oscar Peterson	bass, double bass
1953	Oscar Peterson Plays Duke Ellington — Oscar Peterson	double bass
1953	Cosmopolite — Benny Carter	bass
1954	Billie Holiday — Billie Holiday	double bass
1954	Recital by Oscar Peterson — Oscar Peterson	double bass
1954	Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio #2 — Lester Young with The Oscar Peterson Trio	double bass
1954	The President — Lester Young	double bass
1954	Lester Young with The Oscar Peterson Trio #1 — Lester Young with The Oscar Peterson Trio	double bass
1954	Bud Powell's Moods — Bud Powell	double bass
1955	Lullabies of Birdland — Ella Fitzgerald	bass, bass guitar
1955	Oscar Peterson Plays Jimmy McHugh — Oscar Peterson	bass
1955	Diz and Getz — Diz and Getz	double bass
1955	Roy & Diz — Dizzy Gillespie • Roy Eldridge	double bass
1955	Pres and Sweets — Lester Young & Harry “Sweets” Edison	double bass
1956	Ella and Louis — Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong	double bass
1956	Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie — Oscar Peterson	double bass
1956	Around the Horn With Maynard Ferguson — Maynard Ferguson	bass
1956	Krupa and Rich — Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich	double bass
1956	Jay & Kai + 6 — Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson	bass

Standards written by Ray Brown

Title	Key	Form	Groove
The Gravy Waltz	C major	AABA · 32	Jazz waltz

Teacher of

Louis Hayes b. 1937 · American drummer

Awards

Historic 78 rpm records

D and E Milt Jackson Quartet · Milt Jackson · John Lewis · Ray Brown · Kenny… archive.org ↗
Yesterdays Milt Jackson Quartet · Milt Jackson · John Lewis · Ray Brown · Kenny… archive.org ↗
Tea For Two Bud Powell Trio · Bud Powell · Buddy Rich · Ray Brown · Norman Granz… archive.org ↗
THESE FOOLISH THINGS OSCAR PETERSON PLAYS PRETTY · Oscar Peterson · Ray Brown · Irving… archive.org ↗
DIGGIN' FOR DIZ DIZZY GILLESPIE JAZZ MEN · Dizzy Gillespie · Lucky Thompson · Milt… archive.org ↗
WHAT'S I'M GOTCHERE JOHNNY HODGES AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Johnny Hodges · Flip Phillips ·… archive.org ↗
How High the Moon Esquires All American (New Star Winners) · Dodo Marmarosa · Ray… · 1945 archive.org ↗
Mellow Mood Dodo Marmarosa Trio · Dodo Marmarosa · Ray Brown · Jackie Mills ·… · 1945 archive.org ↗

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Ray Brown play?

Ray Brown is known for playing trumpet, double bass, bass instrument and cello.

When and where was Ray Brown born?

Ray Brown was born 13 October 1926 in Pittsburgh.

What are Ray Brown's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Bass Hit! (1957), With The All-Star Big Band (1962), Ray Brown / Milt Jackson (1965), That's the Way It Is (1969) and Brown's Bag (1976).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.