Patti Bown (July 26, 1931,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

– March 21, 2008,

Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about west of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation with 1.6 million residents as 2020. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolita ...

) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist, composer, and singer.

Early life and career

Bown was born in Seattle, the daughter of Augustus Bown and Edith Ruth Cahill Brown. She began playing piano at age two. Her sister Edith Bown Valentine was a classical pianist; another sister, Millie Bown Russell, became known for her work on diversity in STEM education. Bown studied piano while attending the University in Seattle on a music scholarship. She played in local orchestras toward the end of the 1940s. From 1956, she worked as a soloist in New York City, playing early on in sessions with Billy Eckstine and

Jimmy Rushing James Andrew Rushing (August 26, 1901 – June 8, 1972) was an American singer and pianist from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., best known as the featured vocalist of Count Basie's Orchestra from 1935 to 1948. Rushing was known as " Mr. Five by ...

. She released an album under her own name, ''Patti Bown Plays Big Piano'', in 1958 for the Columbia label. The next year she was invited by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

to join an orchestra for the European tour of the musical ''Free and Easy.'' While there she also played with Bill Coleman in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In the 1960s, she recorded with Gene Ammons,

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album ''The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

Cal Massey Calvin "Cal" Massey (January 11, 1928 – October 25, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Early life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Massey studied trumpet under Freddie Webster, and following this played in ...

, Duke Ellington,

Roland Kirk Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

, George Russell, and Harry Sweets Edison. Her musical compositions were recorded by Sarah Vaughan, Benny Golson, and Duke Ellington. She also recorded with

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

ians such as Aretha Franklin and James Brown. Between 1962 and 1964, she served as the musical director for the bands accompanying

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

and Sarah Vaughan. In the 1970s, Bown worked as a pianist in orchestras on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

and composed for film and television. She played regularly at the

Village Gate The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in Greenwich Village, New York. Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 160 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structu ...

nightclub for many years and lived in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

for the last 37 years of her life.

Discography

With Gene Ammons *''

Up Tight! ''Uptight'' (also known as ''Up Tight!'') is a 1968 American drama film directed by Jules Dassin. It was intended as an updated version of John Ford's 1935 film '' The Informer'', based on the book of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty, but the s ...

'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Boss Soul!'' (Prestige, 1961) *'' Soul Summit Vol. 2'' (Prestige, 1962) *''

Late Hour Special ''Late Hour Special'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons compiling sessions recorded in 1961 and 1962 and released on the Prestige label in 1964.

'' (Prestige, 1962 964 *''

The Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons ''The Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1962 and released on the Prestige Records, Moodsville label.

'' (Moodsville, 1962) *''

Sock! ''Sock!'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons compiling sessions recorded between 1954 and 1962 and released on the Prestige label in 1965.965 With

Billy Byers William Mitchell Byers (May 1, 1927 – May 1, 1996) was an American jazz trombonist and arranger. Early life Byers was born in Los Angeles on May 1, 1927. He suffered from arthritis from a young age and was unable to continue his plans of a care ...

*''Impressions of Duke Ellington'' (Mercury, 1961) With Art Farmer *'' New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy'' (Scepter, 1966) With

Etta Jones Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Gene A ...

*'' Lonely and Blue'' (Prestige, 1962) With

*''

The Birth of a Band! ''The Birth of a Band!'' is an album by Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury with performances by Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, and Phil Woods.

'' (Mercury, 1959) *''

The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones ''The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones'' is an album by Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury.

'' (Mercury, 1959) *''

I Dig Dancers ''I Dig Dancers'' is an album Quincy Jones that was released by Mercury with performances recorded in Paris and New York City.

'' (Mercury, 1960) *''

Quincy Plays for Pussycats ''Quincy Plays for Pussycats'' is an album by Quincy Jones featuring sessions recorded between 1959 and 1965 which was released on the Mercury label.Matsubayashi, KMercury Records Collection: SR-61050: Quincy Plays For Pussycats / Quincy Jones/re ...

'' (Mercury, 1959-65 965 With

*''Blues to Coltrane'' (Candid) With

*'' Afro/American Sketches'' (Prestige, 1962) *'' Fantabulous'' (Argo, 1964) *'' The Spirit of '67'' with

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

(Impulse!, 1967) *'' Jazzhattan Suite'' (Verve, 1967) With

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform music of Afro-Jazz, ...

*'' Warm Wave'' (Verve, 1964) *''Hip Vibrations'' (Verve, 1967) With Big Joe Turner *''

Singing the Blues "Singing the Blues" is a popular song written by Melvin Endsley and published in 1956. The song was first recorded and released by Marty Robbins in 1956. It is not related to the 1920 jazz song " Singin' the Blues" recorded by Frank Trumbauer ...

'' (BluesWay, 1967) With

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Ma ...

*'' Songs for Ageing Children'' (Cadet, 1973) With

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

* ''

Blown Bone ''Blown Bone'' is an album by trombonist Roswell Rudd. It was recorded in March 1976 at Blue Rock Studios in New York City, and was released on LP by Philips Japan in 1979. On the album, Rudd is joined by clarinetist Kenny Davern, saxophonists Ste ...

'' (Philips, 1979) With

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was ...

*'' Cherry Red'' (BluesWay, 1967) With

*''

I Wanna Be Loved "I Wanna Be Loved" (from the 1933 version of the 1931 revue '' Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt'') is a popular song with music by Johnny Green and lyrics by Edward Heyman and Billy Rose, published in 1933. Recorded versions The song is a standard, wi ...

'' (Mercury, 1961) *'' Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller'' (EmArcy, 1957)

References

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was eleven or twel ...

, Patti Bownat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

*Wilson, John S
"Patti Bown on Piano"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', July 1, 1985.

External links

Patti Bown papers, 1940-2007
held by Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
, New York Public Library. 1931 births 2008 deaths Musicians from Seattle American women jazz singers American jazz singers American jazz pianists American women pianists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American women {{US-jazz-pianist-stub

Early life and career

Discography

References

Further reading

Articles

Books

External links