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Ray Brown

One of the most influential bass players in the history of jazz, Ray Brown worked with musicians ranging from Charlie Parker to Frank Sinatra, from Jose Feliciano to Elvis Costello, and Henry Mancini to B.B. King. Born in Pittsburgh, Brown began playing bass in high school, where he sought to emulate Jimmy Blanton of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Brown got his first break playing in Dizzy Gillespie’s combo with Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Max Roach. Following his work with Dizzy, he was part of the group that came to be known as the Modern Jazz Quartet with John Lewis, Milt Jackson and Kenny Clarke. In Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic, he joined Oscar Peterson’s trio creating one of the greatest jazz trios of all time. He spent the rest of his life leading his own trio of young musicians, imparting knowledge and keeping the spirit of jazz alive.