Ray Brown/Milt Jackson Concert - Louisville Times 1984

 
Jackson-Brown Quartet searing in soulful, swinging jazz concert
 
Louisville’s Page Four night club was packed with eager jazz fans last night when Chicago’s jazz entrepreneur Joe Segal walked on stage and asked everyone in the audience to please refrain from talking during the up-coming concert by the Milt Jackson and Ray Brown Quartet.
 
“It’s customary during a jazz concert for the audience to remain quiet,” he said.
 
But what happened for the next hour and a half during the first set, one of two sponsored by the Louisville Jazz Society, had little to do with quiet, silence, or any other word that might imply restraint. The entire concert was a cooking, soulful, swinging affair from start to finish.
 
Milt Jackson, who is probably best known as the vibraphonist in the Modern Jazz Quartet, is one of the true giants of jazz. He has played with everybody from Dizzy Gillespie to Thelonius Monk. Bassist Ray Brown also is a great jazz star and was an integral part of the Oscar Petersen Trio for 15 years.
 
Last night their group also included pianist Gene Harris, subbing for regular pianist Cedar Walton, and ex-Dizzy Gillespie drummer Mickey Roker.
 
The first tune played at the concert was Brown’s “Used to be Jackson,” a low down blues line that set the pace for the rest of the evening. Jackson commanded the vibraphone keyboard with grace and speed. To his right, Brown held the large acoustic bass to his body and swayed in time with the music while flashing a big smile.
 
Much of the concert was dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington. Jackson, who is known for his ability to get the most out of unusually slow tempos, began “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That swing” – normally a real swinger – at a sudden crawl. But before he was done the whole room was filled with the emotion of sanctified vibraphone.
 
In an interview after the concert Jackson said, “Actually, my whole musical background was influenced by black church music and the blues. Normally when I perform with the Modern Jazz Quartet all our arrangements are written out and we have to read everything. But this is my group and everything is much looser. We learn the arrangements, then throw the music away.”
 
The Quartet next played a Duke Ellington medley featuring each member of the band. Harris, an extremely strong, soulful pianist who led the Three Sounds jazz trio in the ‘60s, began the medley with an inspired reading of “Satin Doll.” The audience loved it, cheering and clapping along and proving that Louisville can produce an appreciative jazz audience when the vibes are right, if you’ll pardon the pun.
 
Jackson was next up with a haunted version of “In a Sentimental Mood.” Brown took his turn on the big, bass fiddle with Mercer Ellington’s “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be.” At one point during his  bluesy solo Brown swatted at a moth that flew in his face and protested , “Can’t play the blues for all these flies!”
 
The medley ended with “A Train” performed at a blistering tempo and featuring an energy-filled solo by drummer Roker.
 
The rest of the concert moved along smoothly with powerful versions of tunes like “Wave,” “Close Enough For Love” and “If I Were A Bell.” On the last Jackson traded some mighty fours with Harris, proving that both have their roots in church music.
 
After a standing ovation, the quartet encored with a lovely version of John Lewis’ “Django,” named for the great gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. This, too, was heavily influenced with the blues and Harris’ gospel-soaked piano.
 
Interviewed after the concert, Brown said he hadn’t played in Louisville since the early 1960s. “Maybe what we did here tonight will have some impact and I’ll be able to come back sooner next time,” he said.
 
I suspect if the Louisville Jazz Society has anything to with it, Louisville-area jazz lovers won’t have to wait another 20 years for a visit from Mr. Brown.
 Danny O’Bryan Louisville Times

1984

From the up-coming book
"Derby City Jazz"