“I have never worked beside a man that played as consistently and as beautiful as this man played. He had so much soul. I have to say soul. He could play blues, he could play melody, and he could almost cry on the trombone. He made such beautiful records.”
-Trombonist Quentin Jackson on Lawrence Brown
Lawrence Brown’s interview for the Jazz Oral History Project can be found here.
The recordings heard on this podcast episode:
(CD: “The Complete 1933-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra” Mosaic Records #248)
Sheik of Araby. Recorded 16 May 1932, New York City
Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams, Freddie Jenkins – trumpet; Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – banjo; Wellman Braud – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Ducky Wucky. Recorded 19 September 1932, New York City
Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams, Freddie Jenkins – trumpet; Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – banjo; Wellman Braud – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Slippery Horn. Recorded 18 May 1932, New York City
Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams, Freddie Jenkins – trumpet; Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – banjo; Wellman Braud – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Slippery Horn. Recorded 17 February 1933, New York City
Arthur Whetsel, Cootie Williams, Freddie Jenkins – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Wellman Braud – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Little Posey. Recorded 14 October 1939, Chicago
Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombone; Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Billy Taylor – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Blue Light. Recorded 22 December 1938, New York City
Wallace Jones – trumpet; Lawrence Brown – trombone; Barney Bigard, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Billy Taylor – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Transbluency ( A Blue Fog That you can almost see through) (CD: “Black, Brown & Beige” Bluebird 6641-2-RB)
Recorded 9 July 1946, Los Angeles
Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson, Francis Williams, Ray Nance, Harold Baker – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Wilbur De Paris, Claude Jones – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Oscar Pettiford – bass; Sonny Greer – drums; Kay Davis – vocal.
On a Turquoise Cloud (CD: “Duke Ellington: The Columbia Years 1927-1962” Columbia 5176872)
Recorded 22 December 1947, New York City
Ray Nance – violin; Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Oscar Pettiford, Junior Raglin – bass; Sonny Greer – drums; Kay Davis – vocal.
Blue Cellophane (CD: “World Broadcasting Series, Volume 3” Circle CCD-103)
Recorded 2 January 1945, New York City
Shelton Hemphill, Rex Stewart, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Claude Jones – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Otto Hardwicke, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Junior Raglin – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Circe (CD: “The Treasury Shows, Volume 19” DETS
Recorded 18 May 1946, New York City
Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson, Francis Williams, Reunald Jones, Ray Nance – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton, Wilbur DeParis, Claude Jones – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Oscar Pettiford – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
The Golden Cress (LP: “The Hollywood Bowl Concert” Unique Jazz UJ-001)
Recorded 31 August 1947 Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
Shelton Hemphill, Dud Bascomb, Francis Williams, Harold Baker, Ray Nance – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Claude Jones, Tyree Glenn – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Fred Guy – guitar; Oscar Pettiford – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
— Our closing music —-
It’s Something You Ought To Know (Paul Gonsalves – “Ellingtonia Moods and Blues,” RCA Victor / RCA63562)
Recorded 29 February 1960, New York City
Paul Gonsalves- tenor sax; Johnny Hodges – alto sax; Ray Nance – cornet; Mitchell “Booty” Wood – trombone; Jimmy Jones – piano; Al Hall – bass; Oliver Jackson – drums.