A credible source mentioned that the great John Clayton lost his home in the Southern California fires, and the legendary Ray Brown bass is gone.
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Double Bass R.I.P. Ray Brown's Silvestre
- Thread starter dylanjohnson
- Start date
Which bass is the Silvestre? I saw it referred to as a sloping shouldered french bass.
It’s not the really old Italian right?
I also saw this about a bass he used later in his career, thought it was worth posting here.
www.notreble.com
It’s not the really old Italian right?
I also saw this about a bass he used later in his career, thought it was worth posting here.
Bass of the Week: Ray Brown's 7/8 Size Double Bass
The Smithsonian is home to many priceless pieces of history. Its vast collection includes numerous musical instruments and this week, we’re featuring a bass I was lucky enough to visit recently: Ray Brown’s 7/8 Size Double Bass.
www.notreble.com
Dylan,
That’s heartbreaking news.
Milt Hinton’s bow was lost, too, as well as John’s house.
John had gone to NY to receive honors at Lincoln Center.
Sincere sadness for these losses.
Strength and sympathy. John.
That’s heartbreaking news.
Milt Hinton’s bow was lost, too, as well as John’s house.
John had gone to NY to receive honors at Lincoln Center.
Sincere sadness for these losses.
Strength and sympathy. John.
I am glad if John is safe, but really sorry to hear this. It’s a huge tragedy for the whole community.
I believe he and his family are safe, thankfully.
Yes. Very, very sad. I hope you and yours are out of harm's way, Richard.
Thanks, Dylan. We're a 15 minutes' drive from the southern edge of the Palisades fire, though fickle winds, drifting smoke and whack-a-mole flare-ups conspire to argue against the idea of 'safety.' An evacuation warning did not yet progress to a 'mandatory' escape, so for now, we hurt only for others' misfortunes.
If he wasn’t home, he didn’t have 5 minutes. This is unprecedented and horrible stuff. But we probably all should be thinking about how we’d get out and what we’d take because when it’s down to 5 minutes it’s hard to think.Ray Brown's ? Man.....
I was thinking, if I had 5 minutes to get out, what would I grab ??
In my case, if I take my bass, I have to leave a person behind. My car isn’t big enough for the bass and the whole family. I love my bass but it’s not the first thing coming with me.
So sad. I wonder if I have played this bass or at least seen it up close? The one I remember was a very dark wood with a deep red velvet shroud(?) on the upper bout. I was attending a jazz music camp and the LA4 and Ray Brown were in residence. They had so few bass players it was free tuition for bassists that year! In Ray's master class I was the only attendee there, and I ended up with a private lesson! We spent most of the lesson talking about swing.
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Too bad. In the early 1970s I was a production assistant for a musical TV show and worked with Ray Brown, he was one of the studio musician's who recorded the music tracks for the show every week. Seems like that was the bass he used.
The big bass that’s being played in the Toronto Symphony now is the bass Mr Brown had before the Silvestre, which is a bit smaller with more sloping shoulders. He made the switch in 1964.
I usually don’t care much about objects, but I feel a little sad to hear this. Thanks to Mr. Clayton for bringing the bass on the road with him and letting lots of guys have a play on it while it was still here. I imagine a lot of other memorabilia and historical items were also lost. Glad to hear everyone is ok.
The total impact of these losses is like Katrina, when who knows how much history and memorabilia from the early jazz age was lost or destroyed. At least La Faro's bass could be restored. No such luck for Brown's.
I totally agree. I'm so glad he and his family are ok. I remember your story about playing that bass in Toronto.
This is the bass. John had recently done an album with Bruce Forman and Jeff Hamilton where they played their mentors' instruments. Ray Brown's bass, Barney Kessel's guitar, and Shelly Manne's drums. Of course, John sounds like John no matter what bass he plays. Wonderful.
