Lawrence Brown (musician)
Lawrence Brown ( born August 3, 1907 in Lawrence, Kansas, † September 5, 1988 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American jazz trombonist, who was known primarily as a soloist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Life and work
Brown's father was a pastor, his mother Kirchenorganistin, and as a result of this origin was Brown, who neither smoked, drank nor played and very withdrew, later nicknamed " Deacon " in the Ellington band. He grew up in Pasadena and studied piano, violin, tuba and saxophone before moving to the trombone. His first appearance was said to be in front of 6000 people on Mother's Day in the church. He began professionally in clubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with the bands of Curtis Moseby, Charlie Echols and Paul Howard ( with its Quality Serenaders, he made 1929/30, first shots) to play. As a " strolling " trombonist, he played in restaurants at the tables on, played in 1930 in the orchestra of Les Hite ( with Lionel Hampton) and accompanied ( under a pseudonym ) Louis Armstrong.
In 1932 he joined the Ellington band at (Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live), which he served until 1951, when he ( also previously at Ellington ) joined the newly formed band of Johnny Hodges. Brown played since 1938 by Johnny Hodges led small groups of Ellington musicians, and Hodges and Brown saw back in the early 1950s in the time of big band better chance of dying in smaller groups. After his time with Hodges, he was from 1953 freelancer (including Big Joe Turner Boss of the Blues 1956) and from 1957 a staff musician at CBS Studio. 1960 to 1970 he played again at Ellington, as in 1963 at The Great Paris Concert. After that he no longer appeared, but worked as an economic adviser in the re-election campaign of Richard Nixon, as a record producer with AFM and in the Musician's Union Local 47 in Los Angeles.
Ellington valued him not only as a soloist for his ballads game, but also as a companion of singers. But he could improvise with fast play " hot". As he himself said, a cello -like sound spectrum floated him on trombone game as opposed to the loud Tailgate trombone style from New Orleans. With Tricky Sam Nanton (known for its plunger innovations and the jungle sound, the Brown also played in the 1960s at Ellington ) and Juan Tizol ( valve trombone playing ) he trained at Ellington one of the strongest trombone sections of all big bands and was Head of the trombone section.
Brown also composed for the Ellington Orchestra, eg " Transblucency " ( for singer Kay Davis) or "The Golden Cress ."