Ray Brown

Following along with my trend of bassists I turned my attention to Ray Brown. Ray was a bass player who was born in 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Havening taken piano lessons from a very young age and struggled to find his way on it. He initially wanted to be a trombone player after decided piano wasn’t for him, but with lack of funds, the trombone was too expensive and he forced to settle for a stand-up bass. In the book Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing, Brown revealed the main reason for ending his study of piano: "I just couldn't find my way on it. It just didn't give me what I wanted."[1] Soon afterward, Brown, unable to afford a trombone, switched to bass, an instrument provided by the school's music department. After he became proficient on the bass, he played many local gigs in his hometown to make money and despite multiple offers from band leaders he followed his mothers advice and finished high school before traveling on the road. He also played with the well-known group called The Oscar Peterson Trio. Around the age of twenty he purchased a one way ticket to New York City.


Upon arrival in New York City he met and played with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker and Bud Powell. Dizzy promptly hired Brown as a bassist in his band. He continued to play with Dizzy and even was a part of Dizzies second big band. He left Gillespie’s band in 1947 after he began performing with Ella Fitzgerald. He married her the next year and after adopting a child and naming it Ray Brown Jr. The two divorced in in 1953 due partly to the fact that Ray wanted to pursue his career with Oscar Peterson and he joined up with him for about 15 years. . "During the past decades Brown's sound and skill have remained undimmed, "wrote Thomas Owens, in his 1995 book Bebop: The Music and Its Players."He is an agile, inventive, and often humorous soloist. His arco {bow} technique is excellent, though he seldom reveals it. But he shines most brilliantly as an accompanist[2]. Ray continued playing until his death in 2002. He died in his sleep the night of a concert. Ray Brown is said to have been one of the single most influential people in jazz.

For my listening this week I chose a song by The Oscar Peterson Trio. This song opens with a piano in what appears to be almost an AB form. I really struggle with this but he seems to repeat the same riff several times and then do the same with the next set. This is truly jazz at its best. The trio improved this song and it really stuck and caught my attention. It has your basic blues scales being hammered out on the bass in the background by mister Ray Brown himself. It's hard for me to tell the structure of this song but I notice that Peterson (the piano player) is playing a riff(s), and then playing something that seems to counteract the initial one on the next one following the initial one. Then he will do it with a different set of riffs. I want to say it is in twelve bar blues. Drum set player is laying down a solid swing time. This is a great study song and an overall great listen!

Stanley Clarke

Continuing my research on jazz bassists I turned my attention to Stanley Clarke. Stanley Clarke has been an incredible standout figure in jazz music the last 50 years and still continues to be today. Born in the 1950s in Philadelphia, he had did not have a rather strong upbringing in music. It is said that he showed up late to a music class the day that instruments were handed out to students and the only thing left was the standup bass. This is how he got his start on bass, eventually graduating from the Philadelphia Musical Academy. Following his graduation he moved to New York City where he began working with many famous band leaders and composers including Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson and many more. Shortly after he moved to New York City he joined the band Return to Forever, the leader of the band being well known pianist Chick Corea. According to allmusic, “…Clarke really hit the big time when he started teaming up with Chick Corea in Return to Forever”[1]. Clark also produced probably his best known solo album entitled “School Days” in 1976. 

Coming into the 80s he toured with many notable bands and musicians such as Bela Fleck and Stevie Wonder. Of recently he has turned his focus more towards film scoring and composing having scored movies such as Passenger 57 and The Transporter and many more. Stanley was featured in Los Angeles magazine as one of the 50 most influential people. In 2006 he was awarded with Bass Player magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He was presented it by Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller. Stanley is known best for his individualism on the bass. He places his hand on the electric bass almost just as he would on an upright bass though turned through 90 degrees. When he plays a lead or solo song his fingers wrap up under the bottom two strings such that when he releases on them they slap against the frets causing a percussion smacking sound. This truly is a sound and type of playing that singles Clarke out from any other bassist. He can play the piccolo bass and the tenor bass as well. Stanley Clarke is and will continue to be one of the biggest influences in modern music. 

For my listening this week I chose a classic piece by Stanley Clarke called School Days. This song features Clarke on bass. It appears to be in AAB form and in 4 beats per measure time. It starts out with Clarke on bass for the introduction and the band comes in soon after. It has almost a "techno" feel to it. We get to the solo section and Clarke shows off a bit. He shows his ability to make certain sounds on the bass that others cannot. He truly is very creative. Slowly the band starts to build towards the end of his solo and he goes around for another round. If I understood what I say right on this video he duets for a little bit with the violin or viola that is in the band. In the background this entire time we can hear bits and pieces of a traditional bass sound that another band member is playing. Stanley takes music to a another level and really shows off and the end of this piece. Truly an amazing musician! 

Charles Mingus

As I my research on bassists, my third bassist is Charles Mingus. Charles was one truly an amazing bassist, pianist as well as a composer. Born in Arizona in the year of 1922 he spent the early part of his life in the “Roaring Twenties”. He grew up in a rather religious family as a lot of his inspiration to play and compose came from the music he heard at church. Around the age of 8 years old he started studying double bass under H. Rheinshagen, the principal bassist for the New York Philharmonic. Some sources say that he even worked and studied with Lloyd Reese, Reese being regarded as a very legendary composer. As his playing and composing matured he found his way to New York. He recorded and played with the best of the best including Charlie Parker and others. He was known for his ability to compose music for mid-sized bands and bass playing. According to allmusic “As a bassist, he knew few peers, blessed with a powerful tone and pulsating sense of rhythm, capable of elevating the instrument into the front line of a band. But had he been just a string player, few would know his name today. Rather, he was the greatest bass-playing leader/composer jazz has ever known, one who always kept his ears and fingers on the pulse, spirit, spontaneity, and ferocious expressive power of jazz.” [1]

Mingus made his presence known in the civil rights movement, but he was more of a hard head on stage. He was not afraid to delay, stop or cancel a concert if the crowd had a poor showing he wasn’t happy with the way something was going. There was even one reported event that in the middle of a concert he slammed the lid of the piano down and smashed the hands of his piano players hands and proceeded to punch his trombonist in the mouth. He truly wasn’t afraid to be himself on stage and intern he developed the nickname “The Angry Man of Jazz”.

My listening piece for this week is a piece called Moanin'. It actually features a baritone sax but the song was just too cool for me to pass up, the introduction to this song is one of the "dirtiest" things I have heard but I love it! Having played this song in high school I was quite familiar with it. I was told that he was drunk when he wrote it by my director but I really am not sure that is the case. It starts off with Ronnie Cuber on the bari with a little solo jam. Then the rest of the band comes in a it keeps getting more and more nasty until they reach quick stop section. They then plan an introduction into a sweet solo section first featuring the baritone sax. As I listen to this song I my legs are swinging and bouncing is many ways as it is truly a catchy tune. Very fast paced song that seems to be in a typical 4 beats per measure. Now we enter a trumpet solo and I can solidly hear Mingus swinging hard on what sounds like a stand up base in the background. The trumpet. After that solo we return to what almost sounds like the beginning of the song where it is finished out.

Marcus Miller

My second blog on the topic of bassists I want to learn more about will feature none other than the one and only Marcus Miller. As I researched Miller I was amazed at the impact he has had on the music industry, both in his playing and composing. I was especially surprised and impressed with some of the people he played with and for. Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy and Herbie Hancock are just a few of the names that I came across.



Marcus was born in Brooklyn New York in 1959 and was raised for the most part in Jamaica New York. His family was already into music but his father was a major influence as he was the church organist and choir director. I found it very interesting that he is related to Wynton Kelly. Wynton was a jazz pianist for Miles Davis in the late fifties and early sixties. Around the age of thirteen he was fluent on piano, clarinet, bass guitar and was beginning to compose his own music. A couple of years later he found himself playing bass all over New York City with a variety of bands including flutist Bobby Humphrey and Lonnie Liston Smith who played keyboard. According to allmusic.com “Miller was a fixture as a performer in New York’s jazz clubs before he was even old enough to drive” [1] As he came into adulthood he seemed to be the main man to call in New York as he worked with David Sanborn, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J and many others. In 1981 he joined Miles Davis’ band where he performed with them for two years. In 2001 he was the winner of the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Album of 2001. In his more recent years Miller has turned his focus on film scoring but no matter what he is doing he is always learning and teaching, according to a biography on his website, Miller says "I like to keep things balanced, combining R&B, jazz, funk and movie stuff to help reflect what's happening in our world. I just try to keep challenging myself to continue to grow and get better." [2]
                                                                                       

One of my favorite songs played by Marcus is the old Tower of Power classic "What is Hip". This song features Miller on bass. I chose this song to because I felt it is a good representation of the creativity and style Miller plays with. To my best knowledge this piece appears to be in 4/4 (beats/measure) but it almost gives the "cut time" feel. The song starts out with a simple classic bass grove and quickly moves into an upbeat funk chart. Shortly later the alto sax and drum set come in and continue the funk. In the background I notice what appears to be a keyboard that almost sounds like a church organ. Very cool! Now we move into a solo section for the sax and keyboard with Miller hammering the bass for a funky background. He has a way with slapping the bass that is flat amazing! It give me chills just watching how fast his hands are going all while he is having the time of his life. After a great solo by the sax it is Miller's turn to solo and solo he does! After they finish the solo section they move back into a similar feel to the beginning of the song again. This song makes me wish I could play like that, it looks so soothing!