Customer Reviews

Some of My Best Friends Are Guitarists

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I bought this CD on Tuesday, July 3, 2002. The very next morning
-today- I found the notice on German TV-videotext that Ray Brown had died. The album is a fitting tribute to his genius. Accompanying a stellar cast of guitarists, among them Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis and John Pizzarelli, Ray proves for the last time the defining qualities of his musicianship - the swing, the precise timing and, on the fast tracks, an astonishing nimbleness: he recorded this album at 73! Each of the guitarists featured on this CD are first-rate; they present a collection of mosty traditional, in some cases original material. Three of the most outstanding tracks are blues: 'Blues for Ray' (Ulf Wakenius), 'Blues for Junior' (Herb Ellis) and 'Blues for Wes' (Bruce Forman), the latter a tribute to may favourite jazz guitarist (maybe yours, too?). On each of these blues Ray's bass accompaniment is excellent. On 'Tangerine', John Pizarrelli
and Ray Brown play so fast it's unbelievable. The recording is excellent, although my stereo is not good enough to bring out the subtleties promised by 'Direct Stream Digital', so I can say nothing about that.

One Of my best albums is this cd. Undoubtedly the most stellar performance throughout the cd is by Russell Malone on track 3 Heartstrings, one of his own ballad compositions. Around half-way through they speed up into a faster beat and Russell has an excellent and uncomparable solo. His technique is unmatched. Herb Ellis is a different story, his technique on the following song was horrible, but throughout the rest he was great. Ulf Wakenius has a lot to offer on this cd especially. Watch out for him. Overall, this cd is great, exposing you to many different styles of soloing. All the music is straight jazz. Ray Brown, Kareem Riggins, and Geoff Keezer all do spectacular jobs comping behind the featured soloists. Below are some other cd's I recommend from artists similar to these:
1. Last Session or Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone (Ray Brown (b), Monty Alexander (p), Russell Malone (g)) Very similar to this, however without a drummer, extraodinary solos.
2.Straight Ahead (Ray Brown(b), Monty Alexander(p), Herb Ellis (g)) Very similar to this, however without a drummer, two cds included!
3. Summertime (Ray Brown (b), Geoff Keezer (p), Gregory Hutchinson (d), Ulf Wakenius (g) Similar to this.

P.S Please Check Out My Reviews On The Recommended CDs!

As an aspiring jazz guitarist I picked this up on a whim a while ago, coincidentally around the time Ray Brown died. I knew little about him or the trio, but had heard some of both John Pizzarelli and Russell Malone so expected good things. I was just delighted by this record from the get-go. Pizzarelli's version of 'Squeeze Me' opens with a strangely classical-sounding piano intro (think George Shearing) but immediately opens into a happy & strongly swinging tune with a great groove that sets the tone for the whole record. There's not a bad tune on the record, and it's great to hear such a great variety of guitar styles. Blues for Wes is just awesome -- impossible not to think of Wes Montgomery when hearing this. And the closing ballad 'Soulful Spirit' is just so sweet and touching. A great record!

This album mixes good jazz-blues and standards. Great version of Autumn Leaves by Kenny Burrell and Herb Ellis plays some great blues. A must for all guitarists, we can learn by listening to the masters.

This was my first CD of Ray Brown, and It is very good. It features several different guitar players from Kenny Burell to Bucky Pizzarelli. Get tunes.