Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Russell Malone
(Telarc Jazz – 2002)
by S.H. Watkins, Sr.
Ray Brown, Monty Alexander and Russell Malone, is the last recording in bassist Ray Brow’s long and storied career. This eleven track collection joins Brown’s smooth bass with Alexander’s studied piano style and Russel Malone, maybe the best young guitarist out there right now. From the slow, poignant opening piano on Django, Brown, Alexander and Malone cruise through a sea of standards like Fly Me To the Moon, Honeysuckle Rose and Dexter Gordon’s eponymous Dexter’s Dex. The standards blend seamlessly with some great new material, including the smooth, smokey Blues for Junior and the lively One for Hamp.
Alexander takes the lead on his wistful Don’t Go, followed a couple tracks later by his playful You Can See, while Malone weighs in with his easygoing Look Who’s Here, not to mention some memorable guitar runs on the opening Django. This recording also includes a limited edition bonus disc highlighting Ray Brown’s fourteen-year, eighteen-disc catalog on Telarc as chosen by his producer, Elaine Martone. It includes tracks from seven different recordings and includes the 1995 recording of St. Louis Blues with Ahmad Jahmal and Lewis Nash.