Bozeman Magazine

Ray Brown playing for his bride, the incomparable Ella. If you have ever enjoyed a recording by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie or Sarah Vaughn, chances are you’ve heard Ray Brown. The Ellen Theatre pays homage to this outstanding musician with a star-studded salute. Heralded as the most influential jazz bass player of the 20th Century, Brown is featured on over 2,000 recordings. For this tribute, The Ellen has brought together three stellar artists all with close ties to the famed musician... Larry Fuller, Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton. Larry Fuller was Ray Brown’s last pianist, had long standing gigs with Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson and currently plays with the John Pizzarelli Quartet. Jeff Hamilton on drums has a list just as impressive, having played with Barbara Streisand, Mel Torme, Woody Herman, Rosemary Clooney, and Diana Krall. John Clayton, on bass, has credits with Henry Mancini, Monty Alexander and Count Basie, and has composed and arranged for such notables as Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, and Natalie Cole, to name just a few. Perhaps most special, Clayton was Ray Brown’s most prominent protégé and will be playing Mr. Brown’s own personal bass at The Ellen. It doesn’t get any better than that.