Tyrone Brown String Septet – Emerald Valley (CD3018)

Jazz meets chamber music, led from the bass. Philadelphia bassist Tyrone Brown, for 19 years a member of the Max Roach Quartet, recorded his debut as a leader with an unusual line-up: a classical string ensemble of two violins, two violas and cello, plus a jazz violinist as improvising soloist. Emerald Valley was recorded in November 1996 at Sonic Recording Studios in Philadelphia.

The idea is simple and striking. Brown’s acoustic bass walks and grooves underneath while the strings play written parts: sustained chords, counter-melodies and lush harmonies. Above them, the solo violin and Brown himself improvise. The ten originals range from the melancholy “Gone Now” and the title track “Emerald Valley” to the swinging “The B.P. Express” and “A Time to Walk”, the graceful “Butterfly Dance” and the short “Ebony Madonna”. Two pieces are tributes: “Dear Mr. Roach” to his long-time bandleader, and “Tribute to Duke & Mingus” to two of jazz’s greatest composers.

This is a must for fans of jazz with strings, third stream, chamber jazz and the great bass tradition. Released on Moers Music. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

The Side Story

This album exists because of the Moers Festival. In May 1996, Tyrone Brown played a solo bass concert there. Festival director and label boss Burkhard Hennen was so impressed that he offered Brown a record deal on the spot. There was just one catch: Hennen felt a pure solo bass album would be too niche, and asked Brown for an idea with more variety.

Brown had been doing school concerts with a classical string quintet at the time, and he immediately thought of bringing them in. Because all the string players came from classical music, he also brought in veteran jazz violinist John Blake to share the improvising. The result was the first of several albums with Brown’s string ensembles.

Brown’s career goes back a long way. He played with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and Nat Adderley, and in the Max Roach Quartet alongside saxophonist Odean Pope, whose Moers albums Almost Like Me and Out for a Walk are also available here. The same year, 1996, Brown also played in Jamaaladeen Tacuma’s bass ensemble on All Basses Covered(CD3014), recorded in the same Philadelphia studio. In 2021, for the Moers Festival’s 50th anniversary, he sent a solo video greeting, produced by Tacuma.

Tracklist

1. Gone Now – 7:24

2. USQ – 6:15

3. Dear Mr. Roach – 4:01

4. Emerald Valley – 7:44

5. The B.P. Express – 3:09

6. To Meet Again – 4:08

7. Tribute to Duke & Mingus – 6:22

8. A Time to Walk – 5:06

9. Butterfly Dance – 4:50

10. Ebony Madonna – 2:46

Total running time: approx. 52 minutes

Personnel

• Tyrone Brown – acoustic bass, guitarrón

• John Blake – solo violin

• Lynn Mathers – 1st violin

• Patrick Desrosiers – 2nd violin

• Nina Cottman – viola

• Beth Dzwil – viola

• Ron Lipscomb – cello

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD3018

• Recorded: November 1996, Sonic Recording Studios, Philadelphia

• Price: €14.00