Ray Anderson

ttf_Ellrod · Post by **ttf_Ellrod** » Wed May 10, 2017 5:13 pm

Is coming to town as part of the Vancouver Int'l Jazz Festival. He's in his Bassdrumbone group.

Not much talk about Ray these days although he once got a write-up in Time magazine back in the day. I saw him in town about 20 years ago.

ttf_kbiggs · Post by **ttf_kbiggs** » Wed May 10, 2017 8:39 pm

One of my favorite jazz/avante gard trombonists. I've never seen him live, but I like his 4-part stuff with guitar.

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Thu May 11, 2017 1:27 am

Yes, it seems I had a brief enthusiasm for his style quite a few years back and even purchased a CD of his Pocket Brass Band, which was a quartet consisting of trombone, trumpet, sousaphone and drums and recorded in 2000. The CD is still in fairly pristine condition and obviously has not had many plays. I think it may have been his version of Ellington's 'The Mooche' that I liked? I was also playing with a very good tuba/sousaphone player in those days and maybe I thought I could do something similar to Anderson's group?

I am also wondering if he was ever on this forum (or its predecessor) and that is how I got interested enough to buy the CD? Or perhaps it was the fact that he was frequently chosen in DownBeat magazine's Critics Poll as best trombonist throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s?

Seeing you bring up the name just sparked a bit of a memory but not too much of a one.

But then my memory is not that great these days.

ttf_Exzaclee · Post by **ttf_Exzaclee** » Thu May 11, 2017 6:31 am

I love Ray, he was a big influence on my paying when I was first learning. Great creative musician. Weird, like me.

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Thu May 11, 2017 6:01 pm

I had a check of the old TTF posts and found I was talking about his Pocket Brass Band back in 2002. In fact, I recommended to RHM that she have a listen. I think at the time she had been asked to play some New Orleans jazz in an all-girls band. Knowing how she hated the British version of N.O. Jazz, I said, "Of course, if they did not say what period of N.O. jazz it had to be, then maybe you could phone up the other girls and surprise the audience with some of the new funky sounds from the Crescent City. Something like the 'New Orleans Nightcrawlers' or 'Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band'."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2yItjYIZc

ttf_Joebone2.0 · Post by **ttf_Joebone2.0** » Fri May 12, 2017 9:59 am

Nice to see Mr. Anderson getting some attention - a great trombonist! IIRC, he and George Lewis went to high school together, in Chicago...must have been some hot jazz band in those years...and Lewis and Anderson both deserve a lot more credit and visibility for their work in pushing the 'bone in new directions...

ttf_watermailonman · Post by **ttf_watermailonman** » Fri May 12, 2017 11:23 am

I saw him in Sweden at jazz club "Fashing" in Stockholm probably in the 90-ies. I have two albums, vinyl of course

I have not heard of him much since then. Iteresting style, kind of very avant-garde. Giant leaps, from low end of the instrument to the high end (from my memory)

/Tom

ttf_Trombocholik · Post by **ttf_Trombocholik** » Fri May 12, 2017 2:40 pm

Ray Anderson is a phenomenal player.
I like his album "Old Bottles - New Wine".

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EHVfjhua2Ko

ttf_Malec Heermans · Post by **ttf_Malec Heermans** » Fri May 12, 2017 3:01 pm

Old Bottles New Wine is so good! And I really love the BASSDRUMBONE trio. Gerry Hemingway is a monster.

ttf_William Lang · Post by **ttf_William Lang** » Fri May 12, 2017 4:23 pm

Ray Anderson and George Lewis are truly two of the greatest bone players to ever pic up the horn. i consider them massively inspirational!

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Fri May 12, 2017 4:37 pm

Quote from: Trombocholik on Yesterday at 02:40 PMRay Anderson is a phenomenal player.
I like his album "Old Bottles - New Wine".

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EHVfjhua2Ko

The best thing about that track is his ability to create melodies and make many references to the original melody whilst putting on a display of phenomenal technique and range.

One of the comments under the video said something similar.

ttf_Graham Martin · Post by **ttf_Graham Martin** » Fri May 12, 2017 4:37 pm

Quote from: Trombocholik on Yesterday at 02:40 PMRay Anderson is a phenomenal player.
I like his album "Old Bottles - New Wine".

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EHVfjhua2Ko

The best thing about that track is his ability to create melodies and make many references to the original melody whilst putting on a display of phenomenal technique and range.

One of the comments under the video said something similar.