Cameron Brown

Jazz bassist, composer and educator Cameron Brown began his career in the mid-sixties, recording in Europe with George Russell and Don Cherry. These two wonderful musicians remain life-long influences and inspirations.

Mr. Brown anchored some of the most important groups of the seventies, eighties and nineties, beginning in 1975. Sheila Jordan, Roswell Rudd, Archie Shepp and Beaver Harris were his mentors and bandleaders then. He has enjoyed special relationships with master drummers: Art Blakey, Dannie Richmond, Philly Joe Jones, Edward Blackwell, Idris Muhammad and Joe Chambers, as well as Mr. Harris.

The Don Pullen/George Adams Quartet, featuring Dannie Richmond, developed into an intense and rewarding partnership which lasted nearly ten years. In addition to this quartet, Beaver Harris's 360 Degree Music Experience, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the Sextet and Big Bands of George Russell, and various groups led be Mr. Shepp, Mr. Cherry, Mr. Rudd and Mr. Richmond, Mr. Brown has performed and/or recorded with Donald Byrd, Booker Ervin, Ted Curson, Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Terumasa Hino, Betty Carter and the John Hicks Trio, Houston Person, Etta Jones and Jane Ira Bloom.

He's helped young people around the world to nurture their interest in and passion for jazz from North Carolina to Norway, from Helsinki to New York, to Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is on the faculty of the New School University and has taught at the summer workshop near Venice, Italy co-sponsored by the Manhattan School of Music.

At present, in addition to freelance work, Mr. Brown performs and/or records with Joe Lovano, Sheila Jordan, Archie Shepp, Dave Ballou, Dewey Redman, Lou Donaldson, Marc Copland, Jim McNeely, Steve Slagle, George Cables, Joe Locke, Salvatore Bonafede, Tony Malaby and Phil Markowitz as well as his own ensemble, Cameron Brown and the Hear and Now. He has appeared on more than 80 recordings.

His first recording as a leader, after nearly 40 years of performing, is with his group The Hear and Now and is entitled Here and How! on the OmniTone record label.