I love to listen to a great musician play the acoustic bass and the cello and here are some great albums by Ray Brown that are not to be missed. Ray Brown is my favorite Jazz acoustic bass player with Rob Wasserman as a close second. I know there other great ones, and I like most of them as well, but there is just something about Ray’s playing that feeds my soul. Part of it is the great musicians that he gets to play with him. Another thing is the warm, flowing way that he plays. He can carry the beat and the emotions of the music better than anyone I have ever heard.
The last time I heard him live was at Yoshi’s in Oakland shortly before he passed away. There was a little boy sitting in the front row of tables. Someone got word to Ray that it was the boys fifth birthday, and he asked the boy what he could play for him. Everyone chuckled when the little boy asked Ray to play Me Out to the Ball Game,” but no one was laughing when Ray finished. He played it all the way through as a solo and then the drummer played it once as a solo, and then they played it together. It was the best I had ever heard “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” sound. I think this shows that Ray played to please his audience and himself, and that comes through on every one of Ray’s albums I have.
My first introduction to Ray Brown came from three Direct Cut LPs released by East Wind, a Japanese jazz record label. I was driving over to Hillcrest High Fidelity in Dallas and heard a cut from The L, A. Four’s Going Home album. At that time, almost half of the space at Hillcrest High Fidelity was a record store. So, I went right in and asked if they had the album. They did, but they recommended another L.A. Four East Wind Direct Cut LP, Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte. I bought them both, and I loved them
The L.A. Four was a jazz quartet that performed in Los Angeles, California, from 1974 to 1982. Its members were guitarist Laurindo Almeida, saxophonist, and flutist Bud Shank, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Shelly Manne, replaced by Jeff Hamilton after 1977. So, Shelly Manne is the drummer on Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte and Jeff Hamilton on Going Home. This is definitely what is known as “West Coast Jazz.” This music has a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop.
I went back to the store in a few days to see if there were more of these kinds of albums there. They didn’t have another East Wind L.A. Four albums, but they had The Three. It features Joe Sample on piano, Ray Brown playing the bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. This is a great recording. In fact, these are the best three musical performances I have ever heard done as direct-to-disc recordings. These three albums are available on CD and as used LPs. There are reissues that aren’t direct cut and don’t sound quite as good, but the music is what these albums are all about. Still, with a little work, you can find near-mint copies of the direct-to-disc LPs.
The next Ray Brown album you shouldn’t miss is Herb Ellis & Ray Brown’s Soft Shoe. This album is an earlier recording than the three above. It is somewhat different from most Ray Brown albums. Herb Ellis playing and Ray Brown on bass are joined by “Sweets” Edison and his colorful trumpet who play on several of my favorite albums. The set includes tunes not often hear on Jazz recordings such as “Inka-Dinka-Doo,” “Easter Parade” and “The Flintstones Theme.” There are also some great Jazz numbers including a brief but fabulous performance of “Green Dolphin Street.” This great album is available on CD or used LPs.
Then there are also the two Ray Brown Super Bass albums. I only have the second one. It is superb and features Ray Brown, John Clayton, Freddie Green, Jeff Clayton, and Jeff Hamilton. I was worried that this many bass players might be a bit of an overload, but it’s not. This album is fun and really boogies.
The last two I’m going to mention are probably on everybody’s list, but I have to mention it. You can’t go wrong with Soular Energy; this is about as good as a jazz trio gets. I think everybody has this on their Ray Brown list, but I had to mention it. The other one that’s probably on everyone’s list is The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio. The vinyl of this has gotten pricey, but it is also available on digital sources. Again this classic album should not be missed.
I invite you to check out all these albums if you like Ray Brown. If you are not familiar with Ray Brown, you owe it to yourself to listen to a few of these albums. If I didn’t list your favorite Ray Brown album, please let me know and I’ll add it to my list.