Baron Browne (March 5, 1955 – September 2, 2021) was an American bass guitarist.

Career

Born and raised in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, USA, Baron Browne gravitated to music at a very early age, learning to play his uncle's drumset at 7 years old. As a teenager he dabbled in piano lessons and at age 12 played guitar for a year before realizing that

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

was to be his instrument. At age 18, Baron was launched into the professional music scene right out of high school, moving to Boston and studying at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

. After studying at the prestigious school for a year, he began working full-time in Boston with artists such as

Kevin Eubanks Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957) is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short-lived ''The Jay Le ...

Tiger Okoshi Toru "Tiger" Okoshi (born March 21, 1950) is an American jazz fusion trumpeter born in Ashiya, Japan. After studying at Kwansei Gakuin University, Okoshi moved to the U.S. in 1972. In 1975 he completed studies at the Berklee College of Music. ...

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, re ...

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant ...

and

Dean Brown Dean Craig Brown, AO (born 5 April 1943) is a politician who served as the Premier of South Australia between 14 December 1993 and 28 November 1996, and also served as 10th Deputy Premier of South Australia between 22 October 2001 and 5 ...

. In 1983, Baron received a call from jazz-fusion violinist

Jean-Luc Ponty Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer. He is considered a pioneer of jazz-rock, particularly for his use of the electric violin starting in the 1970s. He rose to prominence for his colla ...

. After touring for three years and recording three albums with Ponty,

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...

came calling. Baron traveled extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. with the drummer. After three years and two albums with Cobham, Baron returned to the Ponty band for more work. In 1992, Baron joined the group

Steps Ahead Steps Ahead is an American jazz fusion group. History The group arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker. The first three a ...

featuring

Mike Mainieri Michael T. Mainieri Jr. (born July 4, 1938) is an American vibraphonist, known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead. He is married to the singer-songwriter and harpist Dee Carstensen. Biography Mainieri was born in The Bronx, N ...

and ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' saxophonist Alex Foster. One year later he was invited by renowned jazz vibraphonist

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz Vibraphone, vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused ...

to join him for tours of Japan, Europe and the US. Baron's versatility with playing all styles of music allowed him to also perform with R&B and Pop artists such as

Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

and

Exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website * ''Exeposé'', a student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter Film and TV F ...

. In 1996, Ponty called on Baron once again to record his first live album in over 20 years (''Live at Chene Park''). The album received rave reviews from jazz critics. In 1997 Baron's talents were secured by renowned Journey drummer Steve Smith for a European tour with his group

Vital Information Steve Smith and Vital Information is an American jazz fusion group led by drummer Steve Smith. The first line-up of Vital Information — Steve Smith (drums), Tim Landers (bass), and Dave Wilczewski (sax) — met in 1971 during their high s ...

. The bassist has made several television appearances, including ''

The Pat Sajak Show ''The Pat Sajak Show'' is an American late-night television talk show that aired on CBS from January 9, 1989, to April 13, 1990. Cast The show was hosted by Pat Sajak, best known as host of the game show '' Wheel of Fortune''. To do the talk ...

'' on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

and '' Ohne Filter'' in Germany. Baron can be heard on many albums by jazz recording artist

Walter Beasley Walter Beasley (born May 24, 1961) is an American saxophonist, a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music, and founder of Affable Publishing and Affable Records. Biography Beasley grew up in El Centro, California. By the age of 13 he ...

. Walter's album ''For Your Pleasure'' reached the number one spot on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine contemporary jazz chart. Because of Baron's musical experience, Walter also made Baron musical director of his touring band. In 1999 Baron went on an extensive tour of Europe, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand with

to help promote their CD entitled ''Where We Come From''. A double live CD called ''Live Around The World'' documenting the band on that tour was released in 2000. In the year 2002 Baron continued to tour with

to promote the CD ''Show ‘Em Where You Live''. He was also included in the writing and producing of this album. While working with

, Steve Smith also used Baron for his

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

tribute band Buddy's Buddies with

Mark Soskin Mark Samuel Soskin (born 1953) is an American jazz pianist based in New York City. Discography As leader * ''Rhythm Vision,'' Prestige (1980); * ''Overjoyed,'' Jazz City (1991); * ''Views From Here,'' King (1992); * ''Calypso & Jazz Arou ...

and Buddy Rich alumni

Steve Marcus Steve Marcus (September 18, 1939 – September 25, 2005) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Marcus was born in The Bronx, New York, United States. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, between 1959 and 1961 ...

and Andy Fusco. They have released two live recordings showcasing that lineup, ''Very Live At Ronnie Scott's Set Number One'' and ''Very Live At Ronnie Scott's Set Number Two''. As of 2004, Baron continues to write and perform with

as a full-fledged member. Their latest release ''Come On In'' received rave reviews from jazz critics around the world. Baron has continued to play a role in the music industry. He has expanded his range to include producing and arranging for other artists as well as his own projects. Baron has also toured and performed with

Angela Bofill Angela Tomasa Bofill (May 2, 1954 – June 13, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter and composer of Cuban- Puerto Rican origins. A New York native, she began her professional career in the mid-1970s and is most known for singles such as " T ...

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fus ...

, Tom Browne,

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

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Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selli ...

Dave Valentine David Donald Valentine (12 September 1926 – 14 August 1976) was a Scottish representative rugby union and World Cup winning rugby league footballer, a dual-code rugby international who played in the 1940s and 1950s, and coached in the 1960 ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and record producer. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note Reco ...

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist, widely considered the "godfather of fusion". Alongside Gábor Szabó, he was a pioneer in melding jazz, country and rock ...

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was ...

Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his work in jazz fusion and world music, his breakthrough came after joining Chick Corea's Return to Forever group in 1974. He launched, from 1976 afterwards, a s ...

, and

Aydın Esen Aydın Esen (born 1962) is a Turkish jazz musician who plays keyboards and electronics. Career The son of a trumpeter, Esen began music lessons at the age of five in Turkey and attended a music conservatory, continuing for 13 years. His background ...

, Tommy Campbell, Sa Davis and

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

. Browne died on September 2, 2021, aged 66.

Discography

* Tiger Okoshi, Muddcake (JVC) * Frank Quintero, Frank Quintero (CBS Venezuela) * Kevin Eubanks, Sundance (GRP) * Jean-Luc Ponty, Fables (Atlantic) * Jean-Luc Ponty, The Gift of Time (Atlantic) * Jean-Luc Ponty, Storytelling (Atlantic) * Jean-Luc Ponty, Live at Chene Park (Atlantic) * Billy Cobham, Warning (GRP) * Billy Cobham, Power Play (GRP) * Mark O'Conner, Heroes (CBS) * Walter Beasley, Tonight We Love (Shenachie) (also listed as Arranger) * Walter Beasley, For Your Pleasure (Shenachie) (also listed as Producer) * Gabriela Anders, Wanting (CBS) * Walter Beasley, Won't You Let Me Love You (Shenachie) * Walter Beasley, Rendezvous (Shenachie) (also listed as Producer) * Walter Beasley, Go With The Flow (Shenachie) * Vital Information, Live Around The World (Intuition) * Aydın Esen, Timescape (BMG) * Vital Information, Show ‘Em Where You Live (Tone Center) * Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies, Very Live At Ronnie Scott's - Set One (Tone Center) * Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies, Very Live At Ronnie Scott's - Set Two (Tone Center) * Steve Smith and Vital Information, Come On In (Tone Center) * Andrea Bocelli, Andrea (Sugar) * Mike Visconti, Take 3 * Mike Visconti, In Other Words * Mike Visconti, Boston Accent

References

External links

Baron Browne's Myspace pageSteve Smith & Vital Information Web Sites
{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Baron 1955 births 2021 deaths American jazz bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American male jazz musicians Vital Information members