1 - American jazz double … Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist named Ray Brown.
1 - American jazz double bassist
2 - Australian singer/guitarist
1. Raymond Matthews Brown (October 13, 1926–July 2, 2002) was an American jazz double bassist.
Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one. With a vacancy in the high school jazz orchestra, he took up the double bass.
A major early influence on Brown's bass playing was the bassist in the Duke Ellington band, Jimmy Blanton. As a young man Ray Brown became steadily more well known in the Pittsburgh jazz scene, with his first experiences playing in bands with the Jimmy Hinsley Sextet and the Snookum Russel band. After graduating from high school, hearing stories about the burgeoning jazz scene on 52nd Street, in New York City, he bought a one way ticket to New York.
Arriving in New York at the age of twenty, he met up with Hank Jones, with whom he had previously worked, and was introduced to Dizzy Gillespie, who was looking for a bass player. Gillespie hired Brown on the spot and he soon played with such established musicians as Art Tatum and Charlie Parker.
From 1946 to 1951 he played in Gillespie's band. Brown, along with the vibraphonist Milt Jackson, drummer Kenny Clarke, and the pianist John Lewis formed the rhythm section of the Gillespie band, and their work together eventually led to the creation of the Modern Jazz Quartet.
Around this time Brown was also appearing in Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, organised by Norman Granz. It was at these concerts that he met the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, whom he married in 1947. Together they adopted a child born to Fitzgerald's half-sister Francis, whom they christened Ray Brown, Jr. Fitzgerald and Brown divorced in 1952.
It was at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in 1949 that Brown first worked with the jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, in whose trio Brown would play from 1951 to 1966. After leaving the Trio he became a manager and promoter as well as a performer.
In 1966, he settled in Los Angeles where he was in high demand working for various television show orchestras. He also accompanied some of the leading artists of the day, including Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. He also managed his former musical partners, the Modern Jazz Quartet, as well as a young Quincy Jones, produced some shows for the Hollywood Bowl, wrote jazz double bass instruction books, and developed a jazz cello.
It was whilst in Los Angeles that he composed music for films and television shows. He was awarded his first Grammy for his composition, "Gravy Waltz", a tune which would later be used as the theme song for The Steve Allen Show.
In the 1980s and 1990s he led his own trios and continued to refine his bass playing style. In his later years he recorded and toured extensively with pianist Gene Harris. In the early 1980s, he discovered Diana Krall in a restaurant in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
He continued to perform until his death; he died while taking a nap before a show in Indianapolis.
2. Ray Brown & The Whispers were a highly successful Australian rock band from 1964-67. Led by singer Ray Brown, they ranked alongside The Easybeats, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Normie Rowe as one of the most popular acts of the period. After a few name and personnel changes which led to short lived incarnations, Ray sought to further/widen his career and in late '67 Ray headed overseas and spent two years working in the U.S.A. which included the recording of a solo album Just Ray Brown for Capitol, produced by American composer arranger producer David Axelrod. Despite the name producer and large budget, it flopped, largely due to poor choices of material by the company. According to a contemporary interview from Go-Set, Ray declared that "Capitol spent $30,000 on it, put in a 30 piece orchestra and then wouldn't let me pick my own material."
3. Ray Brown is from Tallahassee, FL and has been writing songs and performing since 2010. His debut album, CANYON, was released in August, 2012. The East Village arts quarterly, BOOG CITY describes his songs as "funny and tragic at the same time" and The New Yorker dubbed him "a solid songwriter".
https://raybrown.bandcamp.com
The Man I Love
Ray Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like an April breeze on the wings of spring,
And you appear in all your splendor,
My one and only love.
The shadows fall and spread their mystic charms
In the hush of night while you're in my arms.
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
The touch of your hand is like heaven,
A heaven that I've never known.
The blush on your cheek whenever I speak
Tells me that you are my own.
You fill my eager heart with such desire.
Ev'ry kiss you give sets my soul on fire.
I give myself in sweet surrender,
My one and only love.
Ray Brown's song "I Love Paris" showcases the emotions that love holds. The lyrics emphasize the feelings of love by comparing it to an April breeze on the wings of spring. The thought of the person the singer loves makes their heart sing and fills them with desire. The singer's significant other appears in all of their splendor and beauty. When they are together, even the shadows seem to fall and spread their mystic charms, highlighting the intensity of their love. The sound of their partner's voice, their touch, and their warmth all feel like heaven, a feeling that they have never known before. The lyrics express the profound love and admiration the singer feels towards their partner by surrendering themselves and giving their all.
The lyrics also convey the confidence the singer has in their love for their partner. The blush on their partner's cheek whenever they speak signals that they belong to them, and they are one another's soulmate. The singer's eager heart is filled with passion, and every kiss they share sets their soul on fire. They give themselves in sweet surrender to each other in a display of trust, commitment, and vulnerability. This song carries the message of pure, unadulterated love that can be felt in one's bones.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you makes my heart sing
Your mere thought brings me immense joy and happiness
Like an April breeze on the wings of spring,
You lift me up like a refreshing breeze on a beautiful spring day
And you appear in all your splendor,
You come to me in all your glory and magnificence
My one and only love.
You are the only one I love and cherish deeply
The shadows fall and spread their mystic charms
The shadowy surroundings create a mysterious and enchanting atmosphere
In the hush of night while you're in my arms.
During the quietness of the night, while I hold you close to me
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
I sense the warmth and softness of your lips
My one and only love.
You are still the only one I love with all of my heart
The touch of your hand is like heaven,
The feeling of your touch is heavenly, like nothing I've ever felt before
A heaven that I've never known.
I've never experienced such a feeling before, it's pure bliss
The blush on your cheek whenever I speak
The pinkish-red glow on your face when I talk to you
Tells me that you are my own.
It confirms to me that you are mine, and I have your love
You fill my eager heart with such desire.
Your love and affection have ignited a strong longing in my heart
Ev'ry kiss you give sets my soul on fire.
Each time you kiss me, my soul feels an intense passion and burning sensation
I give myself in sweet surrender,
I surrender myself completely to you, with utmost love and trust
My one and only love.
You will always be the one and only person I love, forever and always
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Guy B. Wood, Robert Mellin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind