Sorry, the person you are having this disagreement with is no longer with us. Maybe you can take it up with him in the afterlife.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass How tall was Ray Brown?
- Thread starter davechamb
- Start date
Sorry, the person you are having this disagreement with is no longer with us. Maybe you can take it up with him in the afterlife.
Not that it matters, but here is a picture of Ray alongside McBride and Clayton:
And here is a picture of me and maestro Clayton:
I’m 6’1”, and since Ray was definitely not taller than John, I think we can dispel the rumor that he was 6’5”
And here is a picture of me and maestro Clayton:
I’m 6’1”, and since Ray was definitely not taller than John, I think we can dispel the rumor that he was 6’5”
...and if you think that the inconvenience of no longer being alive is going to keep Paul Warburton from telling you how wrong you are, buckle up, my friend!
How a fan ran into Mr Brown:
I was at NAMM in Anaheim in the early 80's. I'm in the hall and after you passed the vast displays from Yamaha and the other BIG manufacturers you wind up walking these aisles with all the 'little stuff', the guys with stone guitar picks, slide whistles, polka wardrobe vendors, much smaller businesses. After a bit, I hear someone just killing it on an upright.
So I keep trying to follow where this is coming from, and eventually I found it: It was the Polytone booth, basically a folding table with the side curtain dividers, and two amps and some brochures. Plugged into one of them was this handsome, complete-tuxedo-clad figure, playing fabulously with his back to me. Holy Smokes, LISSIN' TO THIS CAT. After a few minutes he must have got the feeling somebody (Me !) was behind him, and he turned around and got this OOOPS grin on his face and said the Polytone cats were gone to lunch but they'd be back in a minute. I told him that was just fine, I'd come back. I said 'Mr. Brown, ya doin' OK?' I hate gushing over 'famous' people, and people are people, so we just shot the breeze for a minute, shook hands and left.
One of those great days where you met someone you really admired, and he looked, sounded, and was a nice man to boot, and what a treat just to hear him messing around, much like any of us would, albeit way more than a few steps past me for sure. Upright has the wonderful advantage of no electronics in the way, the sound is REALLY in your hands, as on any acoustic instrument.
All aces.
I was at NAMM in Anaheim in the early 80's. I'm in the hall and after you passed the vast displays from Yamaha and the other BIG manufacturers you wind up walking these aisles with all the 'little stuff', the guys with stone guitar picks, slide whistles, polka wardrobe vendors, much smaller businesses. After a bit, I hear someone just killing it on an upright.
So I keep trying to follow where this is coming from, and eventually I found it: It was the Polytone booth, basically a folding table with the side curtain dividers, and two amps and some brochures. Plugged into one of them was this handsome, complete-tuxedo-clad figure, playing fabulously with his back to me. Holy Smokes, LISSIN' TO THIS CAT. After a few minutes he must have got the feeling somebody (Me !) was behind him, and he turned around and got this OOOPS grin on his face and said the Polytone cats were gone to lunch but they'd be back in a minute. I told him that was just fine, I'd come back. I said 'Mr. Brown, ya doin' OK?' I hate gushing over 'famous' people, and people are people, so we just shot the breeze for a minute, shook hands and left.
One of those great days where you met someone you really admired, and he looked, sounded, and was a nice man to boot, and what a treat just to hear him messing around, much like any of us would, albeit way more than a few steps past me for sure. Upright has the wonderful advantage of no electronics in the way, the sound is REALLY in your hands, as on any acoustic instrument.
All aces.
My experience with Ray was the same. He was a lovely man, we chatted briefly I found him to
be very genial and he had just finished a rip rooran set.
be very genial and he had just finished a rip rooran set.
I just tried that. It was referring to the Ray Brown that played for the 49ers.
Probably you're not serious, but if you are, try adding additional context. Here's what I found: "Ray Brown, a very tall man himself at 6'5", played a 7/8 size double bass to suit his stature. He was known for maintaining a high string action (distance between the strings and fingerboard) to achieve his signature big, resonant tone..."
Here's a Ray Brown story for you. I used to bring my own CDs in to play during breaks when I was tending bar. One night when Ray was playing there with his trio I was playing "Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster" during his break, and he came up to the bar and asked who the bassist was. Confused, I stammered "I think that's you, Mr. Brown." "That's not me." I looked over at my boss, a bassist who had recorded with Blue Note in the 1960s - nothing. "I guess I believed the liner notes," I explained, handing him the cd jacket. He looked it over, and listened some more, and shrugged. "Those were the two LOUDEST sax players I ever worked with!"
I'm reminded of the Charles Mingus story a friend told me.
Long story short, you'd swear Mingus was at least 6'1" after meeting him.
He was 5'9" on a good day.
Long story short, you'd swear Mingus was at least 6'1" after meeting him.
He was 5'9" on a good day.
[/QUOTE]
The Koln photo is shot at such a funny angle that Clayton's bass looks several inches taller than everyone else's, and no one is standing up straight.
Agree. I'm watching this thread like this:
Well, Ray Brown fans may enjoy this. A few spots are a bit strange, but it’s pretty instructive and beautifully played. Oscar, is of course, truly amazing. Apologies if this has been posted before.
This is a great example of how a great player allows for distilling the form beyond the written or standard changes and goes with what he hears in the moment. Both he and Oscar P. know how the song goes and are free to go with a lot of "incorrect" harmony. It's one of the things that makes playing and listening to jazz most interesting IMO, especially with standard tunes we've heard and played so many times.
