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Klook : the story of Kenny Clarke / Mike Hennessey

Author:
Hennessey, Mike  Search this
Subject:
Clarke, Kenny 1914-1985  Search this
Physical description:
xiv, 373 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Type:
Biography
Place:
United States
Date:
1994
1990
Topic:
Drummers (Musicians)--Biography  Search this
Jazz musicians  Search this
Call number:
CT275.C5695 H5 1994
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_465515

Ray Brown Papers

Creator:
Brown, Ray (Jazz musician)  Search this
Composer:
Allen, Steve, 1921-2000  Search this
Musician:
Clarke, Kenny, 1914-1985  Search this
Clayton, John  Search this
Ellis, Herb  Search this
Harris, Gene, 1933-2000  Search this
Jackson, Milt  Search this
Lewis, John, 1920-2001  Search this
Peterson, Oscar, 1925-  Search this
Shank, Bud  Search this
Singer:
Fitzgerald, Ella, 1917-1996  Search this
Producer:
Granz, Norman  Search this
Extent:
8 Cubic feet (8 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Posters
Clippings
Music
Audiotapes
Awards
Scrapbooks
Correspondence
Business records
Date:
circa 1940-2010
Summary:
Ray Brown was an African-American musician, composer, bandleader, manager, music teacher and promoter. He became best known for his collaborative work with Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, the Oscar Peterson Trio and Norman Granz' s Jazz at the Philharmonic. Over the course of his career, Brown received awards and accolades from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jazz Hall of Fame, Down Beat and Playboy. Brown's papers document his professional music career from 1944 to 2002 and include music compositions and notes, publicity materials, photographs, and some recordings of his performances.
Scope and Contents:
The collection primarily documents the near sixty-year music career of upright bass player, bandleader, composer, and instructor Raymond Matthews (Ray) Brown and the various bands that he played with. The materials consist of music manuscripts, musical arrangements, published sheet music, photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, posters, audio and video recordings, honors and awards, correspondence, and publications. There is very little information about Brown's education, family or other aspects of his personal life.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1: Musical Compositions and Notes, 1940s-2000s, undated

Series 2: Publicity Materials, 1950s-2002, undated

Series 3: Photographic Materials, 1940-2003, undated

Series 4: Personal Papers, 1954-2010

Series 5: Audiovisual Materials, 1978-1993, undated

Subseries 5.1: Moving Images, 1992-1993, undated

Subseries 5.2: Audio Recordings, 1978-1985, undated

Series 6: Performance Materials, 1964-1995, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Raymond Matthews Brown was an African American musician (double bass and cello) born on October 13, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He became known for his collaborative work with Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald (to whom he was married for a few years), and others. He was a composer, bandleader, manager, music teacher, and promoter. His professional music career lasted almost sixty years, dating from 1944 to 2002.

Brown's career began with a risky move to New York City in 1945, as a recent high school graduate, which resulted in his being hired on the spot to play with Dizzy Gillespie. Brown continued to play with Gillespie and others in various groups, recording songs such as "One Bass Hit" and "Night in Tunisia," before leaving in 1947. Brown married notable jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald that same year. He and Fitzgerald adopted a son, Raymond Matthew Brown Jr., and performed together in Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic. Granz's tours, which Brown participated in from around 1949 to 1958, allowed him to travel and play all around the world. After being introduced to Oscar Peterson during a Philharmonic tour, Brown became a founding member of the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1952. His growing commitment to the group, along with other factors, led to Brown and Fitzgerald's divorce in 1953. However, the two would continued to collaborate and perform together, as friends and colleagues.

Brown worked with Peterson and other prominent jazz musicians to find the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, which lasted from 1960 to 1965. He left the Peterson trio in the late 1960s and moved to Los Angeles to work as a composer, manager, educator, and publisher. In California, he worked for several movie and television show orchestras, became bassist for all of Frank Sinatra's television specials, and accompanied some noted singers, including Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Tony Bennett. He composed the theme song to Steve Allen's show, "Gravy Waltz," for which they both won a Grammy Award in 1964. He also managed the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Quincy Jones. In the 1980s, he formed the Ray Brown Trio with pianist Gene Harris, which lasted nine years. He also directed events such as the Monterey Jazz and Concord Summer Festivals, and consulted for the Hollywood Bowl Association. Brown continued to play and record with his trio and various other groups, such as the Oscar Peterson Trio and the Modern Jazz Quartet, for the rest of his life. He also published an instructional book for the bass, Ray Brown's Bass Method, through his own company in 1999. Over the course of his career, Brown received awards and accolades from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jazz Hall of Fame, Down Beat, Playboy, and many more. Ray Brown died in 2002 at the age of seventy- five.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Charismic Productions Records of Dizzy Gillespie NMAH.AC.0979

Ella Fitzgerald Papers NMAH.AC.0584

Duke Ellington Collection NMAH.AC.0301

Duke Ellington Oral History Project NMAH.AC.0368

Edward and Gaye Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials NMAH.AC.0704

Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials NMAH.AC.0415

Leslie Schinella Collection of Gene Krupa Materials NMAH.AC.1220
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Archives Center in 2015 by Ray Brown's widow, Cecilia Brown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
African Americans -- Music  Search this
Music -- Performance  Search this
Music -- Songs  Search this
Musicians  Search this
Musicians -- United States  Search this
Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this
African American music -- 20th century  Search this
Jazz  Search this
African American musicians  Search this
Music -- 20th century  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographic prints
Posters
Posters -- 20th century
Clippings
Music -- Manuscripts
Audiotapes
Awards
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Correspondence -- 20th century
Business records -- 20th century
Citation:
Ray Brown Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1362
See more items in:
Ray Brown Papers
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep81f8e32db-ee2a-4eb0-9267-48e04a1fdec8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1362

The Bebop Era

Performer:
Gayles, Joe  Search this
Eager, Allen  Search this
Hawkins, Coleman  Search this
Jones, Jimmy, 1918-  Search this
Jacquet, Illinois  Search this
Johnson, J. J., 1924-  Search this
Thompson, Sir Charles, 1918-2016  Search this
Carter, Benny, 1907-2003  Search this
Thompson, Lucky, 1924-2005  Search this
Lawson, Robert  Search this
Parker, Charlie, 1920-1955  Search this
Gillespie, Dizzy, 1917-1993  Search this
Powell, Bud  Search this
Navarro, Fats, 1923-1950  Search this
Clarke, Kenny, 1914-1985  Search this
Ventura, Charlie, 1916-1992  Search this
Candoli, Conte, 1927-  Search this
McKenna, Dan  Search this
Basie, Count, 1904-1984  Search this
Ammons, Gene  Search this
Auld, George  Search this
Moody, James, 1925-2010  Search this
Jackson, Milt  Search this
Bailey, Ernest  Search this
Nicholas, Big Nick, 1922-1997  Search this
Carroll, Joe, 1919-1981  Search this
Metronome All Stars  Search this
Collection Creator:
Asch, Moses  Search this
Distler, Marian, 1919-1964  Search this
Folkways Records  Search this
Extent:
1 Phonograph record (analog, 33 1/3 rpm, 12 in.)
Culture:
Americans  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Phonograph records
Date:
1968
Contents:
Side 1. Allen's Alley / Coleman Hawkins' 52nd Street All Stars --Mutton leg / Illinois Jacquet and his orchestra -- Boppin' the blues / Lucky Thompson and his lucky 7 -- Epistrophy. 52nd Street theme. Oop-bop sh-bam. Royal roost / Lenny Clark and his 52nd Street Boys --Ha / Charlie Ventura and his orchestra --Side 2. Overtime / Metronome All Stars --Rat race / Count Basie and his sextet --Ow! Oop-pop-a-da. Stay on it. Cool breeze. Jump did-ke Ba / Dizzy Gillespie and his orchestra
Track Information:
101 Allen's Alley / Allen Eager, Coleman Hawkins, Jimmy Jones.

102 Mutton Leg / Illinois Jacquet, J.J Johnson, Sir Charles Thompson.

103 Boppin' the Blues / Benny Carter, Lucky Thompson, Robert Lawson.

201 Overtime / Metronome All Stars, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie.

105 52nd Street Theme / Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, Kenny Clarke.

106 Oop-Bop Sh-Bam / Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, Kenny Clarke.

107 Royal Roost / Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, Kenny Clarke.

108 Ha / Charlie Ventura, Conte Candoli, Dan McKenna.

202 Victory Ball / Metronome All Stars, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie.

203 Rat Race / Count Basie, Gene Ammons, George Auld.

204 Ow! / Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Milt Jackson.

205 Oop-Pop-A-Da / Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Milt Jackson.

206 Stay On It / Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Milt Jackson.

207 Cool Breeze / Dizzy Gillespie, Ernest Bailey, Big Nick Nicholas.

208 Jump Did-Le Ba / Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Carroll, Joe Gayles.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-0773

RCA Victor.519
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
RCA Victor 1968
General:
notes by Don Heckman on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Topic:
Jazz  Search this
Collection Citation:
Moses and Frances Asch Collection, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
CFCH.ASCH, Item FW-ASCH-LP-0773
See more items in:
Moses and Frances Asch Collection
Moses and Frances Asch Collection / Series 9: Audio Recordings / LP
Archival Repository:
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5e7e985c5-ab7d-42a7-a0a3-30745a654a72
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-cfch-asch-ref16503

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