Brown/Alexander/Malone: Ray Brown / Monty Alexander / Russell Malone (CD)

Brown/Alexander/Malone

CD

CD (Compact Disc)

Conventional CD, playable with all CD players and computer drives, but also with most SACD or multiplayers.

deliverable within 2-3 weeks (if available from supplier)

Current price: EUR 15.99

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Label:: Telarc
Year of recording ca.:: 2002
Item number:: 6515434
UPC/EAN:: 0089408356223
Release date:: 28.11.2002

Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone

»Ray kann mit mehr Ton schneller spielen als jeder andere, den ich kenne. Er begleitet mit den schönsten Basslinien, die ich je hörte.«, schwärmte einmal sein Kollege Percy Heath. Und von Ray Browns fulminanten Spielweise und seiner Virtuosität auf dem Kontrabass profitierten ganze Heerscharen von Jazzern, unter ihnen Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Shelly Manne, Buddy Rich, Ben Webster, Max Roach, Milt Jackson oder Johnny Griffin. Daneben war er Mitglied von L. A. Four und leitete immer wieder eigene Bands. Seine letzte war ein Trio, besetzt mit Pianist Monty Alexander und Gitarrist Russell Malone. Mit diesen beiden Musikern spielte der unermüdlich auf Tour gehende Ray Brown im März 2002 in New York die CD Ray Brown / Monty Alexander / Russel Malone ein. Es sollte sein letztes Studioalbum werden: Am 2. Juli 2002 verstarb der Bassist friedlich im Schlaf. In den Händen hält die Jazzgemeinde nun einen unter die Haut gehenden Nachlass: Mit seinen beiden Partnern verstand sich der Bassist besonders gut, und so entstand ein Album, das zu den besten seiner langen Karriere gehört. Entspannt und dabei hochkonzentriert entstaubt das Trio klassische Standards wie Django, Fly Me To The Moon, Dexter's Dex oder Honeysuckle Rose. Das Ergebnis ist zeitloser Jazz, den man auch in zehn Jahren noch mit angehaltenem Atem lauschen wird.

Product Information

Bassist Ray Brown, a pioneer in bebop whose associations included some of the most prominent names in modern jazz, was as hard working and prolific as he was talented. A contemporary of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Bud Powell, his artistic credits ranged from the recording studio to the international jazz stage to television, and his half-century resume includes an impressive string of Grammys and other awards. He'd just released the latest in his Best Friends series on Telarc less than two weeks before his death, and his touring schedule was full when he passed away in his sleep on the afternoon before a gig in Indianapolis on July 2, 2002, after doing what he loved almost as much as music, playing golf.

Fortunately for his fans, Brown has left one final gift—a brilliant recording with pianist Monty Alexander and guitarist Russell Malone that showcases the individual and collective talents of three fine jazzmen playing a mix of standards as well as their own compositions. Ray Brown, Monty Alexander and Russell Malone, is a collection of eleven tracks that merges the formidable talents of a veteran bassist, a versatile cross-cultural pianist and a young lion of jazz guitar.

From the poignant opening piano notes of John Lewis' ‹Django,» Ray Brown, Monty Alexander and Russell Malone cruises through a mix of familiar standards like Bart Howard's ‹Fly Me To the Moon,« Fats Waller's ‹Honeysuckle Rose» and Dexter Gordon's eponymous ‹Dexter's Dex.« The standards blend seamlessly with some fine original material, including two highly contrasting compositions from Brown: the smoky ‹Blues for Junior» and the lively ‹One for Hamp.« Alexander takes the lead on his wistful ‹Don't Go,» followed a couple tracks later by his playful ‹You Can See,« while Malone weighs in with his easygoing ‹Look Who's Here.»

Had Brown known this would be his last recording, he couldn't have picked more simpatico partners. Jamaican born Alexander, another prominent jazz figure on the Telarc label, had already soaked up the sounds of American legends like Count Basie, Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra by the time he came to the United States as a teenager in the early ›60s. His most recent Telarc release, My America, is a tribute to the many musical and cultural icons of 20th century America who have shaped his artistic identity.

Over the past decade, Russell Malone has maintained a highly successful dual career as a solo artist on Columbia and Verve and as a valuable session player for a host of high-profile artists, including Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall and Harry Connick, Jr. Malone appeared on three prior Ray Brown albums—Some of My Best Friends Are...Singers in 1998, Christmas Songs with the Ray Brown Trio in 1999 and Some of My Best Friends Are...Guitarists in 2002.

For more about Ray Brown, Monty Alexander and Russell Malone, listen to the Real Audio interview with the three artists located in the Track section below. (concordmusicgroup. com)

Reviews

B. Klostermann in FonoForum 1/03: »Hier wechseln drei Gleichgesinnte in bestem Einvernehmen und ohne rituali- sierte Abläufe zwischen Solo und Begleitung, zwischen ver- schlungenen Linien und mächtig treibendem Swing.«