Ray Brown
Acoustic Bass Solo on
Indiana

About

Ray Brown's acoustic bass solo is the fourth and final solo on "Indiana" from The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio, making this one of the few tracks in the session where the bassist steps forward as a featured soloist. Brown takes one chorus over the 32-bar AB form in A-flat at 195 BPM, the fastest tempo marking on the track, reflecting the continued energy buildup through the solo sequence. Brown was widely regarded as the preeminent jazz bassist of his era, and this chorus showcases his authoritative tone and melodic conception in a walking-tempo solo feature.

Ray Brown was 25 to 26 years old at the time.