Album Notes

Bass guitarist, Raphael "Ray" Brown and his quartet have been setting Friday nights on fire at Slade's Bar & Grille in Roxbury, MA.for the past two years!

They have turned Slade's into one of Boston's hottest nightclubs for R&B and Jazz.

RBQ features soprano saxophonist Antonio Jackson (Minneapolis), keyboardist Robert Johnson (New Orleans), drummer Zeke Martin (Belgium) and vocalist Lori Dow (Boston).

This is a lineup to be reckoned with... Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, Ray came to Boston, MA to attend Berklee College of Music.

There he was exposed to the many facets of music, especially jazz.

Classmates with whom he played with include Jeff "Tain" Watts, Branford Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, Donald Harrison, Walter Beasley and many more.

Growing up in Pittsburgh he was raised on many different styles of music and the PGH sound of organ, tenor sax and guitar trios.

Ray lists Paul Chambers, Stanley Clarke and "The Ray Brown" as his major influences on bass.

He has performed with Andre Ward, Frank Wilkins, Hakim Law, The Drifters, The Coasters, Solomon Burke, Bobby Lewis and Sam Mayfield to name a few.

"We need to perform at venues that will allow us to release our energy," says bandleader Ray Brown when speaking about his current band.

LIVE! was recorded before a standing room only crowd.

It is a collection of high energy, jazz and r & b music.

It was recorded with one of Ray's hottest lineups to date! BrownJackson began the evening with a set of jazz standards.

The songs Afro Blue, Cold Duck Time and Stella By Starlight entertained the crowd as they arrived and ate from Slade's soul buffet.

Set two featured original compositions by Antonio Jackson.

"Summer Dream" (the title track from his CD release) and "Smiling Faces" feature Antonio's easy flowing melodies and energetic soprano saxophone solos.

Robert Johnson's blistering piano solos and supporting vocals by Lori Dow make these songs crowd favorites.

Lori Dow stole the evening with her spirited rendition of Jill Scott's "A Long Walk." The set closed with a smooth jazz version of the Earth, Wind & Fire classic "That's the Way of the World.." Set three began with the "Ray" Brown composition "Walking With Ray".

The set also featured vocalist Shannell Grant (BlackSole Ensemble) on the Erykah Badu song "On and On" and the steamy blues version of Aretha Franklin's "Dr. Feelgood." The skilled drumming of Zeke Martin kept it tight throughout the evening.