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Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]

Posted By: amitnewyork
Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]

Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]



Label: Telarc Jazz
Catalog No.: SACD-63562
UPC: 089408356209
Musicians: Ray Brown; Monty Alexander; Russell Malone
Recorded: March 5-7, 2002 / Avatar Studios, NYC
Produced By: Ray Brown & Elaine Martone
Mastering: Robert Friedrich


Track List:
1. Django 4:51
2. Fly Me to the Moon 8:07
3. Blues for Junior 6:10
4. Honeysuckle Rose 5:18
5. Compassion 5:07
6. Dexter's Deck 3:54
7. I Just Can't See For Looking 7:46
8. One For Hamp 3:37
9. Don't Go 5:01
10. Look Who's Here 3:56
11. You Can See 5:25


About the album:
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.


About the Artists:

Ray Brown [RIP]:
Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]

Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh and moved to New York around 1945 and immediately became part of the musical establishment. He took part in a number of early bop recording sessions with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and others, and played in Gillespie's big band (1946-47), "Two Bass Hit" [mp3]. Thereafter he toured for several years as the music director for Ella Fitzgerald, who was at that time his wife.

In 1951 he performed and recorded with the Milt Jackson Quartet (the forerunner of the Modern Jazz Quartet) and began a long affiliation with Oscar Peterson's trio, which brought him international recognition and a popular following; for more than a decade he dominated jazz popularity polls for the double bass. Following the example of Oscar Pettiford, he took up the cello, and in 1960 he had made for him a hybrid instrument combining features of the cello and double bass, which was a forerunner of the piccolo bass.

After leaving Peterson's trio in 1966 Brown settled on the West Coast, where he became active as a freelance and studio musician, recording frequently for the Concord label; he made two albums of duos with Jimmie Rowles and at least nine albums with the L.A. Four. In 1972 he recorded an album with Duke Ellington, in which the two me re-created the latter's well-known perfomances of 1939-40 with Jimmy Blanton. In 1987 he toured in a trio with Gene Harris and Mickey Roker. Along with Pettiford and Charles Mingus, Brown has established himself as a leading bassist in the bop style; he is noted for the precision of his playing, the beauty of his tone, and the tastefulness of his solos.

"Ray Brown, on bass, played the stongest, most fluid and imaginative bass lines in modern jazz at the time." –Dizzy Gillespie

An interesting obituary from NYT:

Ray Brown, Master Jazz Bassist, Dies at 75
By DOUGLAS MARTIN

Ray Brown, whose feather-fingered, guitar-like virtuosity on the bass carried him to the summits of jazz peformance for a half century, died on Tuesday in Indianapolis. He was 75.

He had failed to show up for a 9:15 p.m. show at a club there and was found dead in his hotel room, apparently having died in his sleep, The Associated Press reported.

Mr. Brown won numerous critics' and listeners' popularity polls, and was regularly included among the half-dozen or so greatest of all jazz bassists, along with Oscar Pettiford, Charles Mingus, Milt Hinton, and Jimmy Blanton, whose performances with Duke Ellington he counted among his greatest influences.

Mr. Brown, whose playing was featured on more than 2,000 recordings, played with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and the others who invented bebop in the 1940's; was a long-standing member of the renowned Oscar Peterson Trio: and was part of the original lineup of the Modern Jazz Quartet. He accompanied singers from Frank Sinatra to Linda Ronstadt.

He also accompanied Ella Fitzgerald, to whom he was married from 1947 to 1952, and he continued as her musical director after their divorce.

Mr. Brown took the bass beyond its traditional ''thump-thump-thump'' to a much more sophisticated technique. But his playing remained rooted in a fundamental soufulness, which he called ''the grits and the gravy.''

Gillespie suggested that his sound was so deep and true you could hear the wood.

''Mr. Brown is still one of the best musicians out there,'' Ben Ratliff wrote in The New York Times in 2000. ''His notes are shapely – fat and round and well-defined – and his rhythm is so propelling that on up-tempo pieces his eighth-notes are always blowing wind into the music.''

The same year, Mike Joyce wrote in The Washington Post, ''One of the great and enduring joys of jazz is watching bassist Ray Brown dig his fingers into a deep, rhythmic groove until he's smiling like a kid who just got his hands on a new toy.''

Raymond Matthews Brown was born in Pittsburgh on Oct. 13, 1926. His father was an avid music listener, and Ray fell in love with the piano stylings of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fats Waller and Art Tatum. He began studying the piano at 8.

He decided to switch to the bass in high school when an opening became available in the school orchestra. He quickly became so good that he had to turn down offers to join traveling bands because he had promised his parents he would stay to finish high school.

After graduation he played with a couple of groups, and then, in 1945, decided to go to New York on his own. Within hours of arriving in Manhattan, he met Hank Jones, the pianist, who in turn introduced him to Gillespie. Gillespie hired him on the spot on the basis of only Mr. Jones's recommendation.

The next evening, Mr. Brown found himself onstage with Gillespie, Parker, Bud Powell and Max Roach, the giants of bebop, the new jazz style that was characterized by intricate harmonies and lightning fast speeds.

''Ray Brown, on bass, played the strongest, most fluid and imaginative bass lines in modern jazz at the time, with the exception of Oscar Pettiford,'' Gillespie wrote in his memoir, ''To Be or Not to Bop.''

After recording his classics ''One Bass Hit'' and ''Two Bass Hit'' with Gillespie's big band in 1946 and 1947, he formed his own trio with Mr. Jones and Charlie Smith on drums. Ms. Fitzgerald sang.

He, Ms. Fitzgerald and other star musicians participated in Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic tours during this period. In the early 1950's, Mr. Brown reunited with colleagues from the Gillespie band, Milt Jackson, John Lewis and Kenny Clarke, to form the original Modern Jazz Quartet.

From 1951 to 1966, he played in the Oscar Peterson Trio with Mr. Peterson and guitarist Herb Ellis. The group, known for Mr. Peterson's swirling, intricate solos, was consistently ranked as among jazz's most popular groups during the 1960's. Mr. Brown was almost always voted top bassist.

As an accompanist, Mr. Brown was ''the epitome of foresight, sympathetic foresight,'' Mr. Peterson said.

In 1966, Mr. Brown settled in Los Angeles, where he became a freelance and studio musician. In 1973, he recorded an album with Ellington, ''This One's for Blanton,'' a tribute to his hero.

His activities included playing on all of Sinatra's television specials, acting as director of the Monterey Jazz Festival for two years and as music director of the Concord Summer Festival in 1976 and 1977.

He is survived by his wife, Cecilia, and his son with Ms. Fitzgerald, Ray Brown Jr. of Hawaii.

In an interview this March with The Albuquerque Tribune, he was asked if he liked any of his albums more than others.

''The day you get satisfied and start liking what you play is the day you have to quit,'' he said. ''If you ask a musician what is their best album, they say, 'My next one.' ''

Within hours of arriving in New York, in 1945, Mr. Brown found himself in the center of the emerging world of bebop. (Steve Berman/The New York Times)

Monty Alexander:

Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]

Monty Alexander (born Montgomery Bernard Alexander on June 6, 1944 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Wynton Kelly, Art Tatum, Gene Harris and Ahmad Jamal.

Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music lessons at 6 and became interested in jazz piano at the age of 14. Two years later, he directed a dance orchestra (Monty and the Cyclones) and played in the local clubs. Performances at the Carib Theater in Jamaica by Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole left a strong impression on the young pianist.

Alexander and his family moved to Miami, Florida in 1961 and he went to New York in 1962 and started to play at the jazz club Jilly's. In addition to performing with Frank Sinatra there, he also met and became friends with bassist Ray Brown and vibist Milt Jackson. In California, in 1965, he recorded his first album, Alexander the Great, for Pacific Jazz at the age of 21.

Alexander recorded with Milt Jackson in 1969, with Ernest Ranglin in 1974 and in Europe the same year with Ed Thigpen. He toured regularly in Europe and recorded there, mostly with his classic trio for MPS Records. He also toured around 1976 with the steelpan player Othello Molineaux. Alexander has also played with several singers such as Ernestine Anderson, Mary Stallings and other important leaders (Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Golson, Jimmy Griffin and Frank Morgan). In his successive trios, he has played frequently with musicians associated with Oscar Peterson: Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Mads Vinding, Ed Thigpen and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen.

Alexander married the American jazz guitarist Emily Remler in 1981, the marriage ending in divorce in 1984.

Russell Malone:

Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]

Russell Malone (born November 8, 1963 in Albany, Georgia) is an essentially self-taught[1] swing jazz guitarist. He also performs in the bebop and contemporary jazz genres of jazz. He began working with Jimmy Smith in 1988, and went on to work with Harry Connick, Jr. and Diana Krall throughout the 1990's.[2]

Malone began playing at the age of four in his home of Albany, Georgia, with a toy guitar his mother had bought him, influenced by musicians such as B.B. King and The Dixie Hummingbirds.[3] However, he cites that the most influential musical experience he had as a youth was "[At the age of twelve] seeing George Benson perform on television…with Benny Goodman."[1] He learned technique from listening to recordings of Benson, Wes Montgomery, and Charlie Christian, among others.[3]

Malone played with jazz organist Jimmy Smith from 1988—1990.[1] He then joined the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band from 1989-1994. In 1995, Malone became part of the Diana Krall trio, participating in multiple Grammy-nominated albums, the final one in 1999, "When I Look In Your Eyes," winning Best Vocal Jazz Performance.

In addition to touring regularly as leader of The Russell Malone Quartet, Russell Malone can be seen in appearances with Dianne Reeves and Romero Lubambo. He also tours frequently with Ron Carter as part of the Golden Striker Trio often featuring Mulgrew Miller at piano. Other special guest appearances have included Malone with Bobby Hutcherson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Hank Jones (in celebration of his 90th birthday). October, 2008, found Russell Malone in duo at Yoshi's in Oakland, California, with fellow jazz guitarist and Grammy-winner Bill Frisell. The duo toured once again in February, 2009, in the Pacific Northwest.

Malone's two most recent MAXJAZZ releases are "Live At Jazz Standard, Volume One" (2006) and Live At Jazz Standard, Volume Two" (2007). Appearing on these two volumes, and touring as The Russell Malone Quartet, are Martin Bejerano on piano, Tassili Bond on bass, and Johnathan Blake on drums.


dBpoweramp Release 13.2 Digital Audio Extraction Log from 25 August 2009 4:59 PM

Drive & Settings
––––––––

Ripping with drive 'H: [SNE - CL2ZKXYJ ]', Drive offset: 0, Overread Lead-in/out: No
AccurateRip: Active, Using C2: No, Cache: 1024 KB, FUA Cache Invalidate: No
Pass 1 Drive Speed: Max, Pass 2 Drive Speed: Max
Ultra:: Vary Drive Speed: No, Min Passes: 3, Max Passes: 6, Finish After Clean Passes: 2
Bad Sector Re-rip:: Drive Speed: Max, Maximum Re-reads: 34

Encoder: Windows Media Audio 10 -codec="Windows Media Audio 9.2 Lossless" -settings="VBR Quality 100, 44 kHz, 2 channel 16 bit VBR" -vbr -verify

Extraction Log
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Track 1: Ripped LBA 0 to 21940 (4:52) in 0:02. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 01 - Django.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 4) [Pass 1]
CRC32: D6B6788E AccurateRip CRC: E57AF5E0 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-1]

Track 2: Ripped LBA 21940 to 58527 (8:07) in 0:11. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 02 - Fly Me to the Moon.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 9) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 4C7BF91C AccurateRip CRC: 2CF53211 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-2]

Track 3: Ripped LBA 58527 to 86407 (6:11) in 0:03. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 03 - Blues for Junior.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 10) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 1A50D554 AccurateRip CRC: BC3885CD [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-3]

Track 4: Ripped LBA 86407 to 110367 (5:19) in 0:02. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 04 - Honeysuckle Rose.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 11) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 64648270 AccurateRip CRC: 4A6AD53D [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-4]

Track 5: Ripped LBA 110367 to 133522 (5:08) in 0:03. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 05 - Compassion.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 10) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 05FC2F1E AccurateRip CRC: 45345411 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-5]

Track 6: Ripped LBA 133522 to 151147 (3:55) in 0:02. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 06 - Dexter's Deck.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 11) [Pass 1]
CRC32: B2C91CB9 AccurateRip CRC: 71EE06C5 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-6]

Track 7: Ripped LBA 151147 to 186185 (7:47) in 0:03. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 07 - I Just Can't See for Looking.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 10) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 506E831C AccurateRip CRC: EB3E2248 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-7]

Track 8: Ripped LBA 186185 to 202585 (3:38) in 0:02. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 08 - One for Hamp.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 11) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 5598F30C AccurateRip CRC: 0868D83E [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-8]

Track 9: Ripped LBA 202585 to 225305 (5:02) in 0:02. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 09 - Don't Go.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 11) [Pass 1]
CRC32: CA3D5309 AccurateRip CRC: 7111F5B8 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-9]

Track 10: Ripped LBA 225305 to 243125 (3:57) in 0:01. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 10 - Look Who's Here.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 10) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 6688A40B AccurateRip CRC: A98F54B0 [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-10]

Track 11: Ripped LBA 243125 to 267487 (5:24) in 0:02. Filename: K:\Various Artists\Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]\Ray Brown - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD] - 11 - You Can See.wma
AccurateRip: Accurate (confidence 3) [Pass 1]
CRC32: 2012BBC6 AccurateRip CRC: 72CFA9DC [DiscID: 011-0019bc45-00dc1ff4-8b0dee0b-11]

–––––––

11 Tracks Ripped Accurately



Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone - Ray Brown, Monty Alexander & Russell Malone [SACD]

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