“As a soloist, his taste his impeccable, but his greatest role is that of an accompanist. The old timers used to say, ‘Soloists are made, but accompanists are born’. Lawrence Brown is the accompanist par excellence. During the many years he was with us, records prove that his solo performances had the widest range from classical standard up to, around, and above the jet-swept contour of the vision we almost hear.”
-Duke Ellington, Music is my Mistress
Lawrence Brown’s interview for the Jazz Oral History Project can be found here.
The recordings heard on this podcast episode:
(Under construction…..)
Globe Trotter (CD: “Four Classic Albums” Avid Jazz AMSC999)
Recorded 15 January 1951, New York City
Emmett Berry – trumpet; Lawrence Brown – trombone; Johnny Hodges – alto sax; Al Sears – tenor sax; Leroy Lovett – piano; Lloyd Trotman – bass; Sonny Greer – drums.
Creole Blues (CD: “Duke Ellington: The Columbia Years 1927-1962” Columbia 5176872)
Recorded 14 July 1960, Los Angeles
Lawrence Brown – trombone; Duke Ellington – piano; Aaron Bell – bass.
Stardust (CD: “Johnny Hodges, soloist, Billy Strayhorn and The Orchestra” Verve 314 557 543-2)
Recorded 11/12 December 1961, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Cat Anderson, Harold “Shorty” Baker, Bill Berry, Howard McGhee, Eddie “Moon” Mullens – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson, Chuck Connors – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope; Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Jimmy Jones – piano; Aaron Bell – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums
Rose of the Rio Grande (CD: “The Great Paris Concert” Collectables 7818)
Recorded 1 February 1963, Paris
Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Cootie Williams, Roy Burrowes – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope; Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Ernie Shepard – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.
Minnie the Moocher (CD: “Recollections of the Big Band Era” Warner Bros. 7411628)
Recorded 13 December 1962, Chicago
Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Cootie Williams, Roy Burrowes – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope; Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Ernie Shepard – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.
Let’s Go Fly a Kite (CD: “The Reprise Studio Recordings” Mosaic Records #193)
Cat Anderson, Herbie Jones, Cootie Williams, Nat Woodard – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope; Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Eddie Johnson, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; John Lamb – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.
I Left my Heart In San Francisco (CD: “The Reprise Studio Recordings” Mosaic Records #193)
Recorded 27 April 1964, New York City
Cat Anderson, Rolf Ericson, Cootie Williams, Herbie Jones – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope; Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; Major Holley – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.
Stompy Jones/Mood Indigo (CD: “Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges” GRP/Impulse! GRD-116)
Recorded 8 March 1965, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Ray Nance, Cat Anderson – trumpet; Lawrence Brown – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, Harold Ashby – reeds; Jimmy Jones – piano; Richard Davis – bass; Gus Johnson (on “Stompy Jones”), Johnny Hodges, Jr. (on “Mood Indigo”) – drums.
A Beautiful Friendship (CD: “The Reprise Studio Recordings” Mosaic Records #193)
Recorded Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Cootie Williams, Herbie Jones – trumpet; Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors – trombone; Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope; Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney – reeds; Duke Ellington – piano; John Lamb – bass; Sam Woodyard – drums.
Rabbit Out of the Hat (CD: “Con Soul & Sax/Wild Bill is the Boss” Lone Hill Jazz LHJ10283)
Recorded 17 January 1966, New York City
Johnny Hodges – alto sax; Lawrence Brown – trombone; Jimmy Hamilton – clarinet; Wild Bill Davis – organ; Billy Butler – guitar; Bob Bushnell – bass; Joe Marshall – drums.
Rockville
— 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.