Boyce Brown

Boyce Brown, OSM (Brother Matthew ), ( * April 16, 1910 in Chicago, † January 30, 1959 in Hillside ( Wisconsin)) was an American saxophonist (alto saxophone) of the Chicago jazz.

Life and work

Brown was among Chicago musicians as an eccentric figure, who did not follow their excessive lifestyle. He was introverted, lived with his mother, listening to classical music by Frederick Delius and Debussy and read philosophy. He was the child of a weak constitution and received saxophone lessons to strengthen his breathing.

It gave him a few shots. First in 1935 with the Friars Society Orchestra by Paul Mares, who wanted to able to return to his New Orleans Rhythm Kings. He is there to hear, among others, with a solo in Nagasaki and in Maple Leaf Rag, Reincarnation, The Land of Dreams (ie Basin Street Blues ). In March / April 1935, he took up with Charles LaVere and his Chicagoans, which, however, was not published until much later. In October 1939, he participated in the band of Jimmy McPartland for the Decca box Chicago jazz (including a solo on China Boy, Jazz Me Blues ). George Avakian raised in the liner notes its very individual, unorthodox interpretation produced and evaluated his solo run as perfect, fast, full touch, but completely logical and admirable thought .. Decades later Avakian said in an interview that it Brown's game then amazed and blown away had this time was the highlight of his career, and in 1940 he won the readers poll of Down Beat for alto saxophone. He took again in 1940 in Chicago ( for Collector 's Item, two pages I Surrender Dear and on a blues kick, with Wild Bill Davison, cornet, Mel Henke, Piano, Walter Ross, bass, Joe Kahn, drums), and there are still a handful of recordings from the 1940s, partly unpublished (including a session led by Pete Daily and Frank Melrose, as Bluesiana published at Delmark ) and partially lost ( as a 1945 Jimmie Noone Memorial Concert in Chicago for the label of John Steiner). Then he disappeared from the scene.

In 1952 he converted to Catholicism and entered 1953 as a monk in a monastery of the Servite Order at Granville (Wisconsin ) a; In 1956, he once again took on under the name of Brother Matthew, was with its accompaniment by Eddie Condon organized (Brother Matthew with Eddie Condon 's Jazz Band, ABC - Paramount, with Eddie Condon, who had the lead, for contractual reasons, but not even played, Caceres Ernie, Wild Bill Davison, Pee Wee Russell, George Wettling, Cutty Cutshall, Gene Schroeder, Piano, Bob Casey, bass, Condon 's brother Paul Smith, guitar). From the recordings, with whom he wanted to raise money for his monastery, there are photos with Brown in monk's robes. Three years later he died of a heart attack.

He wrote poems, one of them is with a drawing in Scrapbook of Jazz by Eddie Condon and is of excellent marijuana.

Brown could hardly see, and therefore played mainly in small groups. His habit at play vorzustrecken his neck like a bird, was one of the reasons why he was not taken in a prelude to the big band of the Dorsey brothers, and his habit to cross himself before appearing irritated club owner.