Raymond Harry "Ray" Brown (born November 7, 1946) is an American composer, arranger, trumpet player, and jazz educator. He has performed as trumpet player and arranged music for

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

(early 1970s), Bill Watrous, Bill Berry,

Frank Capp Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography ...

–

Nat Pierce Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...

(Juggernaut Big Band), and the Full Faith and Credit Big Band.

Career

Brown joined Kenton in September 1971, succeeding Gary Lee Pack ._1950;_Director_of_Jazz_Studies_(retired),_University_of_Southern_Maine.html" ;"title="University_of_Southern_Maine.html" ;"title=". 1950; Director of Jazz Studies (retired), University of Southern Maine">. 1950; Director of Jazz Studies (retired), University of Southern Maine">University_of_Southern_Maine.html" ;"title=". 1950; Director of Jazz Studies (retired), University of Southern Maine">. 1950; Director of Jazz Studies (retired), University of Southern Maine holding the jazz trumpet chair and serving as an improv clinician. The Kenton trumpet section included Mike Vax,

Jay Saunders Jay Saunders ''(né'' John Henry Saunders III; born 29 June 1944 Sacramento, California) is an American trumpeter and music educator at the collegiate level. In the 1970s, Saunders was a lead trumpeter with big bands — notably the Stan Kenton Or ...

, and Dennis Noday. Brown also contributed arrangements for Kenton, including "Mi Burrito" and "Neverbird." Brown remained with the Kenton Orchestra until November 1972. Before joining the Kenton Orchestra, Brown had served as arranger and trumpeter with the Studio Band of

The United States Army Field Band The United States Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. is a touring musical organization of the United States Army. It performs more than 400 concerts per year and has performed in all 50 states of the United States and in 25 countries. Stationed ...

at Fort Meade, Maryland (1968–71). His tenure with the Army Band and Kenton coincided closely with that of Jay Saunders — trumpet player, and jazz educator, who, while with the Kenton Orchestra, eventually played lead trumpet. Brown also has performed with Mundell Lowe,

Leroy Vinnegar Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trade ...

, Ray Brown,

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the '' Modern ...

, and Billy Hart. Brown conducted the recording session of the Roy Hargrove Quintet entitled ''Roy Hargrove with Strings, Moment to Moment,'' released May 2000 on

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

. He has appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival frequently as conductor of his wife Susan Cahill Brown's Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra in collaboration with

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

, Kenny Barron,

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

Ralph Towner Ralph Towner (born March 1, 1940) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader. He plays the twelve-string guitar, classical guitar, piano, synthesizer, percussion, trumpet and French horn. Biography Towner was born i ...

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...

, and

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed ...

. Brown currently leads his own big band, the Great Big Band, which has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the

San Jose Jazz Festival The San José Jazz Summer Fest (originally known as the San Jose Jazz Festival) is an annual music festival organized by non-profit San Jose Jazz and held in downtown San Jose, California. The festival was established in 1990. The festival beg ...

, the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, the Lake Tahoe Music Festival, and jazz venues in the San Francisco Bay area. Ray is currently on the faculty of

Cabrillo College Cabrillo College is a public community college in Aptos, California. It is named after the conquistador Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and opened in 1959. Cabrillo College has an enrollment of about 12,000 students per term. Facilities Classes are of ...

in Aptos, California, teaching jazz improvisation, arranging, and jazz ensembles.

Formal education

* 1964 — graduated

Freeport High School (New York) Freeport High School is a public high school located in Freeport, in Nassau County, New York, United States. Serving students in ninth through twelfth grade, it is the only high school operated by the Freeport Public Schools. As of the 2018� ...

* 1968 — Bachelor of Music, Ithaca College School of Music (attended 1964-68) * 19?? — Master of Science,

C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University LIU Post (formally, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, and often referred to as C.W. Post) is a private university in Brookville, New York. It is the largest campus of the private Long Island University system. The campus is nam ...

* 19?? — arranging lessons from Willie Maiden * 19?? — arranging lessons from

Manny Albam Manny Albam (June 24, 1922 – October 2, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, record producer, and educator. Early life A native of the Dominican Republic, Albam grew up in New York City. He was attracted to jazz at an ea ...

* 19?? — arranging lessons from Rayburn Wright (1922–1990) * 19?? — arranging lessons from

Hank Levy Henry Jacob "Hank" Levy (September 27, 1927 – September 18, 2001) was an American jazz composer and saxophonist whose works often employed unusual time signatures. He is best known as a big band composer for Stan Kenton and the Don Ellis Orc ...

* 19?? — arranging lessons from Glenn Earl Brown (Ray's father) * 19??-?? — four summers, Lake Shore Music Camp, headed by Ray's father, Glenn Earl Brown

Early career

* 1968-71 — arranger and trumpet player for the Studio Band of

, Fort Meade, Maryland * Sept. 1971 – Nov. 1972 — trumpet player (jazz chair) and improv clinician with the

Stan Kenton Orchestra Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

* 1973 — became a member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

* 1973-74 — trumpet player for Bill Watrous Band in New York * 1973-75 — led own rehearsal band in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

* Mar. 1975 — Grant: Jazz, Category I,

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

(to write a composition for the rehearsal band) * 1974-75 — teacher of improv. in nine

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

schools through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts * 1974-75 — faculty member (teaching arranging, improv, brass),

Five Towns College Five Towns College is a private college in Dix Hills, New York. The college's degree programs focus on music, media, and the performing arts. History Founded in 1972, Five Towns College holds an Absolute Charter issued by the New York State ...

, Merrick, NY * 1974-79 — played trumpet with the New York Orchestra,

, Joe Newman, Ray Brown (bassist),

, Mundell Lowe, Bill Berry (William Richard Berry) Big Band * 1980 —

Frankie Capp Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography ...

Big Band

Musical family

Ray's wife, Sue Brown (b. 1949, New York), is a violinist and teacher of strings – violin, viola, chamber music, and orchestra. She holds a

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of pre ...

from

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

(1971) and a Master of Fine Arts from Sarah Lawrence College (1974), where she studied with Dorothy DeLay. She also did post-grad work at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

(1975). Ray and Sue were married on August 26, 1973, and together, they have three daughters, one of whom, Karin, is a violinist and is married to cellist Daniel Levitov. Karin earned degrees in music from

Oberlin Conservatory of Music The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

(1998) and

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. Daniel is a member of the preparatory faculty at the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University is a private conservatory and preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and opened in 1866 by merchant/financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869) ...

. Ray, born 1946 in

Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 32,109 at the 2010 census. History Originally known as South Bay, the En ...

, grew up in

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settleme ...

. He has three older brothers, Glenn Edward Brown (1937–2007), Stephen Charles Brown, Roger V. Brown and a younger sister, Jeanne De Martino. * Glenn taught music for 28 years. * Steve is a jazz guitarist, bassist, drummer, composer, and arranger. For 45 years, Steve was professor of music and director of jazz studies at the Ithaca College School of Music (retired 2008). One of Steve's many life achievements is that he formalized jazz studies in 1968 at Ithaca College School of Music, a long-standing, well-known music institution within a well-known liberal arts college that was founded in 1892 solely as a conservatory of music. * Roger, a civil engineer, played bass. He did two tours with

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbe ...

. * Jeanne, a pre-school teacher, played flute. Glenn, Steve, and Ray all earned music degrees from

– Steve:

(1964) and a Master of Music (1968); Ray:

(1968). Ray's nephew (Steve's son) – Miles Brown – is a jazz bassist, performer, and music educator. Ray's father, Glenn Earl Brown (1914–1965; 1936 graduate of Ithaca College School of Music), was the District Music Supervisor of Public Schools for Long Beach, New York. He was also director of bands at Long Beach Jr. Sr. High School from 1938 to 1965. As a pioneer in jazz education at the scholastic level, he introduced stage bands to Long Beach public schools in 1939. He also ran a music camp — Lake Shore Music Score — at

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

, Center Harbor,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Glenn Brown had been, for more than 14 years, a

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

soloist with the

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City ...

Orchestra. Ray's mother, Marie Brown (' Ward) (1916–2002), taught English at Boardman Junior High School in Oceanside for 28 years, where, before retiring from the Oceanside School District in 1982, she served as curriculum coordinator and English department chairwoman. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Ithaca College School of Music in 1935, where she played piano, saxophone, and clarinet. She also held a Masters in English from Hofstra University.

Selected compositions/arrangements

Compositions/arrangements for the Stan Kenton Orchestra * "Call Me Mister" (Kenton Chart Nos. 565 & 1168) * "Hit and Run" – EP305104 © 1972 V1718P086 (Kenton Chart No. 488) * "Is There Anything Still There?" – EP304505 © 1972 V1718P086 (Kenton Chart No. 800) * " Mi Burrito" – EP354892 © 1973 V1718P086 (Kenton Chart No. 975) * "Neverbird" (Kenton Chart No. 564) : Arrangement for the Stan Kenton Orchestra * "Angel Eyes", Matt Dennis &

Tom Adair Thomas Montgomery Adair (June 15, 1913 – May 24, 1988) was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter. Biography Adair was born on 15 June 1913, in Newton, Kansas, where his father owned a clothing store: he was the only child of Willi ...

, arr. Ray Brown Other compositions/arrangements * "Route 81 North" (arrangement) * "Clyde's Glides" * "Double Fault Blues" * "AfterThoughts" * "The Opener" * "My Man Willie" * "Tomas Gatos" * "Arthur Author" * "Two Rare T-Bones" * "Procrastination City" – copyright no. EP354893 © 1973 V1718P086 * "Big D and Me" – copyright no. PA0000398365 © 1988 * "Blues for the two K's" – copyright no. PAu000444456 © 1982 * "Got the time?" – PA0000398368 © 1985 * "Haziness" – copyright no. PA0000250024 © 1984 * "Hop, skip, and a Jump" – copyright no. PAu000313614 © 1981 : * "Little Jeannette Leigh" – copyright no. PA0000250023 © 1983 * "No Timeouts Left" – copyright no. PA0000398361 © 1988 * "Spectrum" – copyright no. PA0000250025 © 1984 * "Three to go" – copyright no. PA0000398367 © 1985 * "Straightahead City" * "Bossa Barbara" by Steve Brown, arr. Ray Brown * "

Embraceable You "Embraceable You" is a jazz standard song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named ''East Is West''. It was published in 1930 and included in that year's Broadway m ...

/Quasimodo" – Gershwin /

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "The Telephone Song" – Music by Menescal, Portuguese words by Boscoli, English words by Gimbel, arr. Ray Brown * "Bittersweet" – Willie Maiden, transcribed by Ray Brown * "

Our Love Is Here To Stay "Love Is Here to Stay" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the movie ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938). History "Love Is Here to Stay" was first performed by Kenny Baker in ''The Goldwy ...

" –

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "Del Sasser" – Sam Jones, arr. Ray Brown * "Kayak" –

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active i ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "Barbara" –

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "

I Could Write a Book "I Could Write a Book" is a show tune from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical '' Pal Joey'', where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. It is considered a standard. Critical reception An uncredited critic reviewing "New Plays in Manh ...

" –

Rodgers & Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "The Thumb" –

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "The Ballad of Thelonious Monk" –

Jimmy Rowles James George Hunter (August 19, 1918 – May 28, 1996), known professionally as Jimmy Rowles (sometimes spelled Jimmie Rowles), was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer. As a bandleader and accompanist, he explored multiple styles in ...

, arr. Ray Brown * " Stella By Starlight" –

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

, arr. Ray Brown * "I.C. Light" – Ray Brown (commissioned for the retirement of Steve Brown, March 2008) * "Turn Out The Stars", by Bill Evans, arr. Ray Brown * "Louie's Prima"

Selected discography

* ''The Session'', Studio Band of the United States Army Field Band (Brown is one of three arrangers), recorded

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, Nov. 1972 # "Route 81 North", arr. Ray Brown # "Is There Anything Still There?" arr. Ray Brown As a member (jazz trumpet/flugelhorn) of the Stan Kenton Orchestra * ''Stan Kenton Today'' (recorded live,

Fairfield Halls Fairfield Halls is an arts, entertainment and conference centre in Croydon, London, England, which opened in 1962 and contains a theatre and gallery, and a large concert hall regularly used for BBC television, radio and orchestral recordings. Fa ...

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Surrey, UK, February 10, 1972, 2nd show), originally released in 1972 by Creative World Inc. (2 LPs,

quadraphonic Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...

), re-released by

Dutton Vocalion Dutton Vocalion specialises in re-issuing on CD music recorded between the 1920s and 1970s, and in issuing albums of modern digital recordings. It was established by British recording and re-mastering engineer Michael J. Dutton. Dutton Laborator ...

(2 CDs), 2005 :Selections from a Feb 6, 1972, live audience BBC recording (same band) (Ray is 25 years old in these recordings.) # , by

(Ray Brown is one of the jazz soloists.) # # # * ''

The Four Freshmen The Four Freshmen is an American male vocal quartet that blends open-harmonic jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires, The Pied Pipers, and The Mel-Tones, founded in the barbershop tradition. The singers accom ...

: Live at

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...

'', with

and his Orchestra, Creative World Inc. (2 LPs,

), 1972; re-released by

GNP Crescendo Records GNP Crescendo Record Co. is an independent record label founded in 1954 by Gene Norman ''(né'' Eugene Abraham Nabatoff; 1922–2015). It started as a producer of jazz, then expanded into many other genres, including comedy, rock, and '' Star Tre ...

(CDs), 1986 * ''National Anthems Of The World'', Creative World Inc. (2 LPs,

), 1972 * ''Clearwater 72'' (recorded at the

Fort Harrison Hotel The Fort Harrison Hotel serves as the flagship building of the Flag Land Base, the Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, US. It is owned and operated by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., ...

Clearwater, FL Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...

, Mar 1972)
Hitchcock Media
(1 CD), 2002 * ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (Live, Las Vegas), 1972 Arrangement recorded by the Stan Kenton Orchestra * ''Kenton For Collectors'' Vol. 3 (recorded live,

Towson State University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...

, July 27, 1976), Dynaflow (CD) (released October 16, 2007) # "Angel Eyes", by Matt Dennis & Tom Adair, arr Ray Brown As a member of the Full Faith & Credit Big Band * ''Debut,''

Palo Alto Records Palo Alto Records was a jazz record company and label that released most of its discography in the 1980s. The label was founded in 1981 by Jim Benham, who lived in Palo Alto, California. He played trumpet in a big band and was chairman of the Benham ...

, 1980 (Ray Brown conducts, arranges, and plays flugelhorn); * ''JazzFaire'', with

Madeline Eastman Madeline Louise Eastman (born June 27, 1954) is an American jazz singer. At 18, while watching the movie '' Lady Sings the Blues'' Eastman became enchanted with Diana Ross's portrayal of vocalist Billie Holiday. Not yet realizing how serious a ...

(LP), 1983 (Ray Brown conducts, arranges, and plays flugelhorn); # "Hop, Skip & a Jump", arr Ray Brown # "Like Someone in Love", arr Ray Brown # "I remember Clifford", arr Ray Brown # "Barbara", arr Ray Brown # "A Time for Love", arr Ray Brown # "Can't Handle It", arr Ray Brown * ''FF&C III,'' Sea Breeze (1 LP), 1988; re-released (1 CD) b
Sea Breeze
1994 As leader of Ray Brown's Great Big Band * ''Impressions of Point Lobos,'
Brown Cats Productions
, Ithaca, NY (CD), 1997; * ''Kayak'
Brown Cats Productions
, Ithaca, NY (CD), 2009; Other recordings * Ray Brown & Steve Brown: ''An introduction to jazz improvisation: a basic method of study for all musicians,'' Piedmont Music Co.,

Melville, NY Melville is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. The population was 19,284 at the 2020 census. History The area was known to the Native Americans as ''Sun ...

(LP), 1975 *

Gary Bartz Gary Bartz (born September 26, 1940) is an American jazz saxophonist. He has won two Grammy Awards. Biography Bartz studied at the Juilliard School. In the early 1960s, he performed with Eric Dolphy and McCoy Tyner in Charles Mingus' Jazz Wor ...

: ''Music is My Sanctuary'', 1975 * ''Los Angeles City College Jazz Band'', 1981 (Ray Brown arranges ''Is There Anything Still There?'') *

Grover Mitchell Grover Mitchell, born Grover Curry Mitchell (March 17, 1930 – August 6, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist who led the Count Basie Orchestra. Biography Mitchell was born in Whately, Alabama, but he moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pen ...

: ''Butter Jazz Chronicles'', 1978 *

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

: ''This is Your Life'', late 1970s * * Frank Wess/

Harry Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard backi ...

Orchestra: ''Dear Mr. Basie'' (recorded live, Kan-i Hoken Hall, Tokyo, Nov 1989) Concord, 1989 *

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, ...

, with the Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra: ''Boogie Down'' (recorded Aug 18, 1990) (1 CD), 1989 * ''Great Moments with

'' (1 CD)

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

, Nov 8, 1993 :Recorded from 1976 to 1990, at Alley Cat Bistro, Culver City, CA; Coast Records,

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

; Concord Summer Festival, Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA; Fujitsu-

Concord Jazz Festival The Concord Jazz Festival is an annual event that was established in 1969 in Concord, California. The festival was launched by Carl Jefferson, a car dealer and jazz enthusiast, who managed to get a group of friends to support the concept. The cit ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

; Mad Hatter Recording Studios,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

;

Ocean Way Recording Ocean Way Recording was a series of recording studios established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in Los Angeles, California, Nashville, Tennessee, and Saint Barthélemy. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates record ...

Studios,

Hollywood, CA Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Michael Paulo
: ''Fuse Box'' (1 CD) GRP, 1990
Michael Paulo
: ''Don't Let Go'' (1 CD) GRP, 1990
Michael Paulo
: ''Rainbow Room'' (1 CD) GRP, 1990 *

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

: '' Dingo'' (film soundtrack), 1990 *

Buddy Collette William Marcel "Buddy" Collette (August 6, 1921 – September 19, 2010) was an American jazz flutist, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He was a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet. Early life William Marcel Collette was born in L ...

: ''Live at

El Camino College El Camino College (Elco or ECC) is a two-year public community college located in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County known as Alondra Park.Torrance, CA Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...

), 1990 *

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

: ''Sent for You Yesterday'',

, 1990 * David Benoit: ''Over the Edge'' (1 CD) GRP, 1991 * David Benoit: ''Still Standing'' (1 CD) GRP, 1991 * The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra: ''Heart and Soul'' 1991 * ''Child's Play'', produced by Steve Brown, Cafe Records (1 CD), 1990 *

Kirk Whalum Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

: ''Love Saw It'', Columbia, 1993 *

: ''The Language of Life'', Columbia, 1993 * Landes Jugend Jazz Orchester Hessen: ''Magic Morning'' (recorded in

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

, Apr 30 - May 4, 1993), Ray Brown is an arranger of four pieces: : "For Heaven's Sake", comp Donald Meyer, Elise Bretton, &

Sherman Edwards Sherman Edwards (April 3, 1919 – March 30, 1981) was an American composer, jazz pianist, and songwriter, best known for his songs from the 1969 Broadway musical ''1776'' and the 1972 film adaptation. Early life Edwards was born in the East ...

, arr Ray Brown : "Die Autobahn 500", arr Ray Brown : "Magic Morning", comp b
Dan Haerle
, arr Ray Brown * Rickey Woodard: ''Yazoo City Blues'' ( 1 CD) Concord, 1994 * Roy Hargrove With Strings: "Moment to Moment",

(CD), 2000 (Ray Brown, conductor) * Live Recording from the Monterey Jazz Festival (recorded Sept. 21, 2002) (private recording, Monterey Jazz Festival tapes held by Stanford University) : with

, & Kenny Barron : a. "The Night" (composer/arranger unknown) : b. "American Dreams" (

) : c. "Trends" (composer/arranger unknown) (possibly titled ''Travels'' by

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...

Lyle Mays Lyle David Mays (November 27, 1953 – February 10, 2020) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and member of the Pat Metheny Group. Metheny and Mays composed and arranged nearly all of the group's music, for which Mays won eleven Grammy Awa ...

) : d. "Prism" ( Keith Jarrett) : e. "No Lonely Nights" ( Keith Jarrett) : f. "Ron's Place" (

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Qua ...

) : g. "Nightfall" (

) : h. "Bird Food" ( Ornette Coleman) : i. "America the Beautiful" (

Samuel A. Ward Samuel Augustus Ward (December 28, 1848 – September 28, 1903) was an American organist and composer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of a shoemaker, he studied under several teachers in New York and became an organist at Grace Church (Newar ...

Katharine Lee Bates Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker. Bat ...

) : Ray Brown (Raymond Harry Brown) conducts the Festival Orchestra on b, e, f, & i

Other published works

* ''An Introduction to Jazz Improvisation'', by Ray Brown and Steve Brown, Piedmont Music (1975);

Selected film- and videoography

* ''The Music of Stan Kenton'' (film for television) (note: 1969 is the date given in some resources, : Production director: Stanley Dorfman # "Malaga", arr Bill Holman # "Intermission Riff", by Steve Graham,

Ray Wetzel Ray Wetzel (September 22, 1924 – August 17, 1951) was an American jazz trumpeter. Critic Scott Yanow described him as "greatly admired by his fellow trumpeters". Career Wetzel played lead trumpet for Woody Herman from 1943 to 1945 and for St ...

# "MacArthur Park", by

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...

: Mike Vax, Dennis Noday,

, Ray Brown, Joe Marcinkiewicz, trumpet;

Dick Shearer Richard Bruce Shearer (September 21, 1940 – September 20, 1997) was an American jazz trombonist. Career Shearer was lead trombonist and music director for the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He succeeded Jim Trimble in the late 1960s, led the band ...

, Mike Jamieson,

Fred Carter Fredrick James Carter (born February 14, 1945), nicknamed "Mad Dog" or "Doggy", is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons (1969– 77) for the Balti ...

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...

, Phil Herring, trombone; Quin Davis, Richard Torres, Kim Frizell, Willie Maiden, Chuck Carter, reeds;

, piano; John Worster, acoustic double bass; John Von Ohlen, drums; Ramon Lopez, Latin percussion * ''Festival de Jazz de Montreux,'' Switzerland 1979 (film for television) : Count Basie and his Orchestra:

Sonny Cohn George Thomas Cohn (March 14, 1925 – November 7, 2006), known professionally as Sonny Cohn, was an American jazz trumpeter whose career spanned over six decades. After working for fifteen years with Red Saunders (1945–1960), Cohn went on ...

Pete Minger Pete Minger (January 22, 1943 in Orangeburg, South Carolina – April 13, 2000 in Pompano Beach, Florida), born George Allen Minger, was an American bebop-based trumpeter. He also played flugelhorn. He came from a musical family with his moth ...

, Ray Brown, Nolan Smith (aka Nolan Shaheed) trumpet, fluegel horn; Melvin Wanzo,

Booty Wood Mitchell W. Wood, better known as Booty Wood (December 27, 1919 – June 10, 1987) was an American jazz trombonist. Career Wood played professionally on trombone from the late 1930s. He worked with Tiny Bradshaw and Lionel Hampton in the 1940s ...

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...

, trombone; Bill Hughes, bass trombone;

Bobby Plater Robert C. Plater (May 13, 1914, Newark, New Jersey - November 20, 1982, Lake Tahoe) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. Plater began playing alto sax at age 12, and played locally in Newark with Donald Lambert and the Savoy Dictators in th ...

, Danny Turner,

Eric Dixon Eric "Big Daddy" Dixon (March 28, 1930 – October 19, 1989) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, flautist, composer, and arranger. Dixon's professional career extended from 1950 until his death in 1989, during which time he was credited ...

, Kenny Hing, reeds; Charlie Fowlkes, baritone sax;

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, Paul Smith, piano;

Freddie Green Frederick William Green (March 31, 1911 – March 1, 1987) was an American swing jazz guitarist who played rhythm guitar with the Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years. Early life and education Green was born in Charleston, South Car ...

, guitar;

John Clayton John Clayton may refer to: Arts and entertainment Writing *John Clayton (architect) (died 1861), English architect and writer *John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton, John Bell Clayton (c. 1907–1955), American writer *John Clayton (sportswriter) ( ...

, acoustic double bass; Butch Miles, drums;

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Dennis Roland Dennis Roland, Jr. (born March 10, 1983) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Roland has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals and Chicag ...

, vocal * '' Swing Shift'', 1984 film (USA) : Music by: Patrick Williams; music orchestrated by: Billy May, Michael Moores, Jack Hayes; soundtrack personnel:

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orc ...

, Bob Findley, Dick Hurwitz, Ray Brown, Bill Berry, trumpet; Alan Kaplan, George Bohanon,

Buster Cooper George "Buster" Cooper (April 4, 1929 – May 13, 2016) was an American jazz trombonist. Career A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, Cooper played in a territory band with Nat Towles in Texas in the late 1940s and with Lionel Hamp ...

, trombone; Marshal Royal,

Lanny Morgan Lanny Morgan (born March 30, 1934 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American jazz alto saxophonist chiefly active on the West Coast jazz scene. Morgan was raised in Los Angeles. In the 1950s he played with Charlie Barnet, Si Zentner, Terry Gibbs, and ...

, alto sax;

Pete Christlieb Pete Christlieb (born February 16, 1945) is an American jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist. Biography Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is the son of bassoonist Don Christlieb. Christlieb ...

, Bill Green, tenor sax;

, piano;

John Pisano John Pisano (born February 6, 1931) is a jazz guitarist born in Staten Island, New York. Biography Pisano has worked with Herb Alpert, Billy Bean, Chico Hamilton, Peggy Lee, and Joe Pass. Discography As leader * ''Makin' It: Guitar Duets'' wit ...

, guitar; Monty Budwig, acoustic double bass;

, drums * ''A Tribute to Count Basie,'' filmed at Kan-i Hoken Hall, Tokyo, November 11, 1989 (film for television) :Personnel:

Harry "Sweets" Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard bac ...

, Joe Newman,

Snooky Young Eugene Edward "Snooky" Young (February 3, 1919 – May 11, 2011) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known for his mastery of the plunger mute, with which he was able to create a wide range of sounds. Biography Young was lead trumpeter of t ...

Al Aarons Albert Aarons (March 23, 1932 – November 17, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography Aarons was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit. He began to gain attention as a trumpet player in 1 ...

, Ray Brown, trumpet;

Al Grey Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Care ...

, Benny Powell,

, Michael Grey, trombone; Marshal Royal, Curtis Peagler, alto sax; Frank Wess, tenor sax, flute;

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

, tenor sax;

Bill Ramsay William George "Rams" Ramsay (born January 12, 1929) is an American jazz saxophonist and band leader based in Seattle. In 1997, he was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, the top of eight Golden Ear Award categories presented annually ...

, baritone sax; Ronnell Bright, piano;

Ted Dunbar Earl Theodore Dunbar (January 17, 1937 – May 29, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. Career Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Dunbar trained as a pharmacist at Texas Southern University, but by the 1970s he only did pharma ...

, guitar; Eddie Jones, acoustic double bass; Gregg Fields, drums. * ''Fujitsu Concord Jazz Festival'', filmed at Kan-i Hoken Hall, Japan, November 11, 1990 (film for television) : Personnel: Ray Brown,

, Joe Newman,

, trumpet; Arthur Baron,

, Douglas Purviance, trombone;

, Curtis Peagler, alto sax; Frank Wess, tenor sax, flute;

, tenor sax; Babe Clarke, baritone sax; Tee Curson, piano;

, guitar; Eddie Jones, acoustic double bass
Dennis Mackrel
drums,

, vocal, drums.

Honors and awards

Ithaca College School of Music :Brown family who studied at the Ithaca College School of Music: As part of the Ithaca College School of Music expansion (2001), a chamber jazz room was added as a gift from Steve McCluski '74 and Kim Joslyn McCluski '74 in honor of the Brown family. A plaque there honors seven members of the Brown family who graduated from Ithaca College: :1) Glenn Brown (1914 – 1965) — Ithaca College School of Music (IC) 1936 (Ray's father) :2) Marie Brown (' Ward; 1916 – 2002) — IC 1935 (Ray's mother) ::3) Stephen Charles Brown — Ithaca College (IC) Bachelor of Music 1964; Master of Music 1968 (Ray's second oldest brother) ::4) Barbara Katz Brown — IC 1974; 1975 (Steve's wife) ::5) Ray Brown — IC 1968 ::6) Sue Brown — IC 1971 (Ray's wife) ::7) Glenn Edward Brown — IC 1959 (Ray's oldest brother) 14th Annual Gail Rich Awards — Cultural Council Associates (of the Santa Cruz County arts community) (Jan 26, 2010) * Ray and Sue Brown were two of seven being honored — they were being honored for their creative work as music teachers :: (fast forward to 4:13)

External links

Ray Brown's profile at Cabrillo College

website for Ray Brown's Great Big Band

References

Notes Inline citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Raymond Harry 1946 births Living people American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Swing trumpeters American jazz composers American male jazz composers American music arrangers Jazz arrangers American jazz bandleaders American jazz educators Jazz educators People from Oceanside, New York Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century trumpeters Educators from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians