Search - Ray Brown :: Super Bass

Fretful

My Uncle Stu | Boston | 12/08/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

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I love the bass, the instrument and the sound itself. And I'm a fan of all three bassists here, though particularly Ray Brown. I grabbed this CD the second I heard of it. I left it unlistened to for a while, enjoying the anticipation. It pains me to say this, but when I actually listened to it, I just wasn't crazy about it. Guess what the problem was. Right, too much bass. Three bass players and nothing on top, it just doesn't work that well. It works better as a concept and a conversation piece than as something I actually want to listen to. I like having it in my collection, but I've never felt the desire to listen to it a second time. After ten or fifteen minutes of listening to three bass virtuosos solo, I would have killed to hear just about anyone on a sax cut in with a high register screech, clear out some of those hollow overtones. Oh well.



It's not terrible. I did like Blue Monk and Brown Funk the best, enjoyed Mack The Knife too. Maybe for a bass player it would be a more interesting experiment. It just didn't quite work for me. I recommend Ray Brown's "Live from New York to Tokyo," a great live double album featuring two different versions of his trio from two different eras, and some of the installments of "Some Of My Best Friends Are..." series are great as well. Also check out "Live at the Blue Note," with Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson. You see? You put the bass on the bottom end to compliment some great musicians in the upper registers.



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Great For Bassists

Rachel | Illinois, USA | 04/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While I adore this CD, and think that all bassists should listen to it at least once, it's decidedly not the CD for the rest of the jazz world -- it's all bass. But it's very good, and very acoustic. And if you like bass, you will love it. :)"

A meeting of giants

Will Weidman | Bedminster, NJ United States | 05/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What can I say? These CD features two of my favorite bass players, Ray Brown and Christian McBride, and John Clayton, whom I haven't previously heard of but is definately deserving of sharing the stage with these two. These guys are swinging throughout the recording, and you can tell that they're having a good time. Ray Brown is one of the best bass players alive. He unbelievably solid, knows his instrument inside out, and he has a very warm tone. McBride has a very fresh, energetic, and recognizable sound. He is very innovative with his bass lines, and his solos always blow me away. Clayton is also especially talented and is very skilled with the bow as well. The CD also has a great mix of tunes. Blue Monk is a great tune and nicely features all three bassists. Brown Funk, composed by McBride for Ray, is always fun to listen to. The trio plays Mack the Knife, showing what they can do with a standard tune. There is even Lullabye of Birdland featuring some lyrical bowing. This is an essential recording for any bass player, and I also highly recommend it for any jazz fan."