Born October 13, 1926, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ray Matthew Brown took piano lessons from the age of eight, but after noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one. With a vacancy in the high school jazz orchestra, he took on the upright bass. A major early influence on Brown's bass playing was Jimmy Blanton, the bassist in the Duke Ellington band. As a young man Brown became increasingly well known in the Pittsburgh jazz scene, with his first experiences playing in bands with the Jimmy Hinsley Sextet and the Snookum Russell band. After graduating high school, having heard stories about the burgeoning jazz scene on 52nd Street, he bought a one-way ticket to New York. He arrived in the city at the age of 20, met up with Hank Jones, with whom he had previously worked, and was introduced to Dizzy Gillespie, who was looking for a bass player. Gillespie hired Brown on the spot, and he soon played with such established musicians as Art Tatum and Charlie Parker. Later, Brown left Dizzy's band to start a trio with Hank Jones and Charlie Smith. This delightful 4CD set features many of Brown’s finest early albums, up to the mid-1960s, and includes recordings he made alongside Ella Fitzgerald, Milt Jackson, The Pollwinners, and of course all the records from this era on which he performed as leader. Tracks: DISC ONE 1. Ool-Ya-Koo 2:51 2. Love That Boy 2:33 3. Mr. Paganini 3:27 4. It’s Too Soon To Know 1:53 5. I Never Knew 3:17 6. How High The Moon 7:20 7. Heat Wave 2:16 8. Old Mother Hubbard 1:58 9. Bop Goes The Weasel 2:20 10. Ool-Ya-Koo 2:26 11. Flying Home 4:18 12. Blues For Sylvia 5:05 13. All Of You 4:00 14. Everything I Have Is Yours 4:29 15. Will You Still Be Mine 3:43 16. Little Toe 4:53 7. Alone Together 4:47 18. Solo For Unaccompanied Bass 2:30 19. My Foolish Heart 4:09 20. Blues For Lorraine 5:36 DISC TWO 1. Bric-A-Brac 5:32 2. Upstairs Blues 6:39 3. (Back Home Again In) Indiana 4:37 4. The Nearness Of You 6:14 5. Take The ‘A’ Train 8:06 6. Cool Walk 6:24 7. Jim 7:38 8. Tangerine 3:17 9. Almost Like Being In Love 4:14 10. That Old Feeling 4:39 11. Ain’t Misbehavin’ 5:13 12. Alice Blue Gown 2:41 13. Rosalie 3:07 14. But Beautiful 4:01 15. Poor Butterfly 3:18 16. Memories Of You 4:53 17. Rock-A-Bye Your Baby 2:07 DISC THREE 1. Work Song 5:19 2. It Happened In Monterey 3:08 3. My One And Only Love 3:59 4. Tricrotism 3:56 5. Thumbstring 4:44 6. Cannon Bilt 335 7. Two For The Blues 4:08 8. Day In, Day Out 2:52 9. Baubles, Bangles And Beads 3:33 10. Much In Common 3:55 11. When The Saints Go Marching In 3:58 12. I’m Going To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song 4:22 13. Gravy Blues 3:32 14. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 2:48 15. What Kind Of A Fool Am I? 4:08 16. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 3:38 17. Just For A Thrill 4:02 18. Nancy (With The Laughing Face) 3:38 19. Give Me That Old Religion 2:01 DISC FOUR 1 Lined With A Groove 5:34 2. For Someone I Love (What’s Your Story) 4:34 3. Dew And Mud 4:18 4. I Just Can’t Fool Myself 6:19 5. Lazy Theme 4:53 6. Now Hear My Meaning 5:16 7. In A Crowd 6:05 8. Monterey Mist 3:35 9. Jordu 3:31 10. Satin Doll 6:34 11. It Could Happen To You 4:27 12. Mean To Me 6:31 13. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me 4:38 14. On Green Dolphin Street 4:04 15. You Go To My Head 4:25 16. Minor Mood 3:23 17. Nagasaki 3:05