Ray Ray Brown

Milt Jackson With The Ray Brown Big Band - Memphis Jackson (1969) {2014 Japan Rare Groove Funk Best Collection 1000 UCCU-90082}
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© 1969, 2014 Impulse! / Verve / Universal Music Japan | UCCU-90082
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Funk Jazz / Vibes

One of the grooviest albums ever from the legendary Milt Jackson – an upbeat, almost funky set of soul jazz tracks – played with some great grooves on the bottom! Those trademark Jackson vibes are firmly in place, but the setting is quite different from the staid sounds of the MJQ – more in the soulful swinging sound of late 60s Verve and Impulse, with lots of mod elements thrown in for good measure! Backing is by the Ray Brown big band, who give Milt a nice fat bottom to groove on – and the whole thing's very groovy, with titles that include "Braddock Breakdown", "Uh Huh", "Sound For Sore Ears", and "Queen Mother Stomp".

Verve's Ultimate series unveils a new concept in the hackneyed concept of greatest-hits collections: Instead of compilation producers, these albums feature tracks selected by figures who either worked with or were influenced by the artists themselves. The results are much more than your average best-of compilations; they're closer to treatises on the immense influence that those artists exerted on generations to come, documenting exactly why they were special and deserve to be remembered. The Ultimate Ray Brown volume was compiled by Christian McBride, who concentrates on two of the greatest albums in Brown's discography: 1956's Bass Hit! (four tracks) and the Milt Jackson collaboration Much in Common (seven tracks)…

This two-fer reissue combines two live albums released by the Ray Brown Trio in the 1980s, The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio, featuring pianist Gene Harris and drummer Mickey Roker along with bassist Brown, recorded at the Blue Note nightclub in New York in November and December 1985, and Bam Bam Bam, with the trio consisting of Brown, Harris, and drummer Jeff Hamilton, cut in December 1988 at the 2,000-seat Kan-i Hoken Hall in Toyko. Harris, whom Brown had lured from obscurity and retirement in Idaho, was something of the bassist's protégé during this period, so it is not surprising that Brown actually takes a back seat on much of the music here, allowing Harris to be showcased.

The title of this CD certainly fits the players. Pianist Oscar Peterson (who switches to organ on two of the eight selections), guitarist Joe Pass, and bassist Ray Brown would each be on literally dozens of recordings for Norman Granz's Pablo label; all are worth acquiring by fans of straightahead jazz. This particular set has three Peterson originals (including one called "Jobim"), a few veteran standards, and Quincy Jones's "Eyes of Love."

Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Jake Hanna - Jazz / Concord (1972) {2014 Japan Concord Jazz Selection Series UCCO-90301}
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© 1972, 2014 Concord / Universal Japan | UCCO-90301
Jazz / Bop / Guitar

The very first release by the Concord label was a quartet set featuring guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jake Hanna. Ellis and Pass (the latter was just beginning to be discovered) always made for a perfectly complementary team, constantly challenging each other. The boppish music (which mixes together standards with "originals" based on the blues and a standard) is quite enjoyable with the more memorable tunes including "Look for the Silver Lining," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Georgia," "Good News Blues," and "Bad News Blues." This was a strong start for what would become the definitive mainstream jazz label.

Harry Ray, Al Goodman and Billy Brown previously recorded as The Moments, their Stateside hits including “Love On A Two-Way Street”, Sexy Mama” and “Look At Me”. Here in the UK they made Top 10 in the national charts with “Girls” and “Dolly My Love” while the soul scene still spin their 1976 single “Nine Times”, another record for Sylvia Robinson’s Stang label before the group’s name transition to Ray, Goodman & Brown in 1978 for contractual reasons. The Moments had included prior members since forming in Washington in the 1960, but when Sylvia’s Sugarhill label was on a roll, Harry Ray would also record briefly as a solo artist, “Love Is A Game” being the song from that period he is best remembered for.

Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Mickey Roker - Dizzy's Big 4 (1974) {OJC Remasters Complete Series rel 2013, item 30of33}
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© 1974, 2013 Pablo / Concord | 40th Anniversary of Pablo Records | 0888072346116
Jazz / Bop / Mainstream Jazz / Trumpet

Concord Music Group will release five new titles in its Original Jazz Classics Remasters series on September 17, 2013. Enhanced by 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, bonus tracks (some previously unreleased), and new liner notes to provide historical context to the originally released material, the series celebrates the 40th anniversary of Pablo Records, the prolific Beverly Hills-based label that showcased some of the most influential jazz artists and recordings of the 1970s and '80s.

Other than a Prestige date in 1969, this was guitarist Tal Farlow's first recording in nearly 17 years. He is heard at a reunion with vibraphonist Red Norvo and matching wits with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna. Recorded at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival, this was Farlow's first of six Concord albums, and it led to a slightly higher profile for him than during the past decade. Highlights of the joyous occasion include Norvo's feature on "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else," a heated "Lullaby of Birdland" and a colorful rendition of "My Shining Hour." Highly recommended to straight-ahead jazz fans.