Ray Ray Brown

Though not partners as had been planned in the initial Modern Jazz Quartet, Ray Brown and Milt Jackson did work together in the early to mid-'60s, this double-CD set includes some fine collaborations and interesting combinations. There are 12 big-band cuts from 1962 led by Brown, primarily featuring Cannonball Adderley with Jackson on the side. From 1965 another eight tracks concentrate on small group efforts with Brown, Jackson, pianist Hank Jones, and different horn soloists, while the final 14 selections from 1964, still as small ensembles with set lineups of guitarist Kenny Burrell, drummer Al Heath, keyboardists Jones, or Wild Bill Davis, also highlight the singing of the gospel vocalist Marion Williams. This can easily be considered a valuable reissue, showcasing two jazz giants in the prime of their careers, playing music not readily identifiable aside from their work with Oscar Peterson (Brown) or MJQ (Jackson) around this time.

On his Telarc disc, Ray Brown teams up with five different piano players but, rather than this being a tribute to the veteran bassist (who has solo space on every selection), the CD ends up being a celebration of the great Oscar Peterson because Benny Green, Dado Moroni, and Geoff Keezer have, to various degrees, based their styles on Peterson’s, but the indivual standout is actually Ahmad Jamal, who had never previously recorded with Brown.

Originally from Montana, but now living, performing, and teaching in San Diego, this is Kristin Korb's first album. Not possessed with an especially powerful set of vocal chords, Korb nonetheless weaves delicate figures with a clear, cool, almost vibrato-less voice. Scatting, but not to the point where lyrics are entirely ignored, she's a pleasant, if not overwhelming, addition to the world of jazz vocals. Korb is joined on this session by the dean of bass players, Ray Brown, and his trio that features the outstanding, hard driving piano player Benny Green, an outstanding soloist in his own right. The trio is augmented by two veterans, Plas Johnson on tenor sax and Conte Candoli on trumpet. Johnson, unfairly, is pretty much known for his work on Henry Mancini's Pink Panther. He has done much more and better work, such as with T-Bone Walker…

Truly a gem of recordings of this genius of jazz, accompanied by the best musicians such as Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Lester Young, etc. Highly recommended!

Brown took a fresh approach for this 1982 date, retaining the trio format but substituting flute for drums and using Monty Alexander instead of regular pianist Gene Harris. The results were intriguing; Most provided colors and sounds that haven't been on a Brown date since, while Alexander added some Caribbean flavor and a bit more adventurous sound.

The members of the Ray Brown Trio (the bassist-leader, pianist Gene Harris and drummer Jeff Hamilton) all grew to love the playing of tenor-saxophonist Ralph Moore when the four were traveling as members of Gene Harris' big band. On this Ray Brown CD, the veteran bassist virtually turned over the entire session to Moore. The quartet performs a variety of veteran standards (including some from the bop era such as Charlie Parker's "Quasimodo" and Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ") plus Wes Montgomery's "SOS" and Brown's "Ralph's Boogie." Ralph Moore rises to the occasion and shows that, even though his sound is inspired by John Coltrane, he was fully capable of playing tunes from the swing and bop era; Moore sounds delighted to have the Ray Brown Trio as his backup group. This is a fine collaboration that works quite well.