Marion Brown Tribute Post

Marion Brown left us recently. At age 79, he passed away Monday, October 18th in Hollywood, Florida.

I was exposed to Marion Brown early in my Jazz listening-hood. When I was first getting beyond Coltrane, Coleman, and Ayler, into the second wave of avant-garde players from the 60s, Brown was the first that I dove into. As a leader, he seemed to have a knack for commencing wonderful improvising sessions, and despite having many successes, Brown always seemed to fall under the radar of main stream Jazz. This is a sax-man that played along Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders in Coltrane's Ascension, has had recordings put out on Impulse, ESP-Disk', ECM, and many other boutique labels.

From the first time I heard Brown, I was instantly hooked. WKCR just wrote that this is "one of the most radical but romantic of free improvisers." That's it! That's all you need to know about Marion Brown to understand his music's existence. A statement that can only apply to so few Jazz artists, and Brown belongs at the epicenter.

Please experience his music. Whether it's on vinyl, iTunes, streamed from Rhapsody or Pandora -- but don't just listen, be part of it, mentally and physically. It is beautiful music, it's not just Jazz, but Great Black Music that America and the world is lucky to have.

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Image Credit: Original painting by Martel Chapman.

"Marion Brown Quartet" - Marion Brown

Nabbed a copy of this on vinyl a few weeks back; don't get too excited, it's just a 2002 Get Back reissue, but none the less, very cool to have coming off the needle.

This is Brown's first session as a leader for ESP-Disk' and it's a solid performance. Capricorn Mood is a side-long track that starts with an Eastern influenced rhythm between Rashied Ali on drums and Ronnie Boykins and Reggie Johnson on bass. The melody kicks in cheerfully and whimsical before Brown sets off on his solo. This is then followed by Alan Shorter on trumpet. The two of them create an interesting juxtaposition over the repetitive bass line. Following all this is a dual bass improvisation and a heavy tom dominating drum solo by Ali before returning to the theme.

27 Cooper Square is a faster tempo cut with a higher collective of free improvisations. Contains the same personnel as Capricorn Mood minus Boykins on bass. Exhibition drops Alan Shorter on trumpet with the additive of Benny Maupin on sax. This track is similar to Capricorn Mood with it's Eastern influenced rhythms, but seems focused more on longer dissonance of notes. There's also a stellar solo by Ali before rapping up the set.

1967 - Esp Disk'.

Marion Brown - Sax; Alan Shorter - Trumpet; Benny Maupin - Sax; Ronnie Boykins - Bass; Reggie Johnson - Bass; Rashied Ali - Drums.