Born: February 1, 1940 Primary Instrument: Bass
Bassist Tyrone Brown has recorded over 125 CDs to date including six with legendary drummer Max Roach, six with saxophonist Odean Pope, five with Grover Washington, Jr. (two went gold “Live At The Bijou” and “Reed Seed”), four with guitarist Pat Martino, three with Bobby Zankel, and one each with vocalist Rachelle Ferrell and pianist Dave Burrell. An alumnus of the famed Berklee School Of Music, Brown received a fellowship grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and won a grant from the Pennsylvania Council On The Arts for Artistic Excellence in Jazz Composition 2001. Tyrone Brown has also garnered the “Best Acoustic Bass” honors in the Jazz Philadelphia Magazine Readers Choice Poll 1993 and 1994. Traveling all over the world, Brown has conducted Master Classes in Barcelona, Spain and Jerusalem, Israel and conducted Improvisation Symposiums at Brigham Young University, Illinois State University, and Temple University. In 1996, his Solo Bass Concert at the 25th Anniversary of the Moers Germany Jazz Festival drew five thousand people. Tyrone Brown has also worked with Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Trudy Pitts & Mr. C, Freddie Hubbard, Phil Woods, Mulgrew Miller, Clark Terry, Johnny Hartman, Sonny Fortune, Etta Jones, Benny Golson, Dizzy Gillespie, Steve Marcus, Kenny Barron, J.J.Johnson, Dave Burrell, Donald Byrd, Nat Adderly, Cecil Bridgewater, Sam Rivers, Stanley Turrentine, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Sir Roland Hanna, and many others. Brown has toured and recorded with The Max Roach Quartet since 1984, and the Odean Pope Trio and Saxophone Choir since 1991. Dizzy Gillespie wrote, “Tyrone Brown's playing reminds me of those colorful bouncing balls you see at a carnival.” Drummer Max Roach said, “Tyrone Brown is one of the most creative musicians I have ever worked with. He is a fine composer and arranger and a virtuoso instrumentalist.” Bob Blumenthal of the Boston Globe notes that “Tyrone plays with the passion and flair of a flamenco guitarist.”
This sort of chamber jazz stuff is right up my alley. Any players trying to bridge the gap between European classical music and American jazz will get a good listen from me, even if it doesn't always work that perfectly. This group has lots going for it: Brown is one of the grooviest bassists playing today; he's been with Nat Adderly, Clark Terry, Freddie Hubbard and Max Roach, among others. John Blake is one of the greatest living jazz violinists, with 35 CDs to his name. The other string players come from various symphonies and string quartets of note, and percussionist William Duke Wilson adds his rhythm touches to the strings on a couple of the tracks. Bassist Brown adds three of his own tunes to the CD, and the two standards 'All the Things You Are' and 'Softly as in a Morning Sunrise' provide welcome familiarity in the program. (The first is a striking unaccompanied violin solo by Blake.) - John Henry, Audiophile Audition, March 2000
The Tyrone Brown Sting Sextet's 'Song of the Sun' is another winner. This all-string sextet comprised of Tyrone Brown (g, bg), John Blake (v), Melissa Ortega (v) Beth Dzwil (viola), Nina Cottman (viola), Ron Lipscomb (c) and William 'Duke' Wilson (perc) give us a different sound, and one that is refreshing. - Anthony Callender, The Stereo Times, April 2000.
Tyrone plays with the passion and flair of a flamenco guitarist. - Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe News
