Wellman Braud

Wellman Braud (* January 25, 1891 St. James Parish, Louisiana, † October 29, 1966 in Los Angeles ) was an American jazz bassist, best known as a member of the band by Duke Ellington.

Life and work

Braud came from a Creole family ( sometimes Breaux enrolled, Braud was therefore pronounced " Bro" ) and came at a young age to New Orleans, where he played the violin and bass in its own trio in the Storyville district ( before 1910). 1917, when the brothels in Storyville closed with naval personnel because of violent incidents, he drew as many jazz musicians to Chicago, where he worked with Lawrence Duhe. In 1923 he went to London with the " Plantation Orchestra " in which he starred alongside bass and trombone.

He then went to New York to tape by Wilbur Sweatman and changed mid- 1927 Duke Ellington Orchestra when he began at the Cotton Club in Harlem to play. Here he brought his experience in New Orleans, especially the " slapping " style of bass playing, an important contribution to the sound of the former Ellington Orchestra. The regular radio broadcasts of the band were one of the reasons why the so- played bass increasingly replaced the tuba as a rhythm instrument in the dance bands, but also Braud still occasionally used.

After leaving Ellington in early 1935 ( the reasons are unclear, but Ellington led his band at that time two basses in one ), he led briefly in 1936 a club in Harlem with Jimmie Noone and recorded with the " Spirits of Rhythm" from 1935 to 1937. After that he played in New York with its own group and with Kaiser Marshall, Hot Lips Page and Sidney Bechet. In 1944, he briefly returned to Ellington. In 1956 he played a long time with Kid Ory. In the 1960s he was only occasionally working as a musician.

Duke Ellington acknowledged the " important role " of his longtime bassist, entitled " Portrait of Wellman Braud ", the part of his New Orleans Suite ( listen to the eponymous album of 1970).