OBITUARY: ANDY BROWN 1938-2004 By
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OBITUARY: ANDY BROWN 1938-2004 by John Pochée __________________________________________________________ [This obituary appeared in the February, 2005 edition of the newsletter of the Jazz Action Society of NSW] any of us have been saddened by the news of the death of New Zealand double bassist Andy Brown in early January at his home in Auckland, aged M 66 after a long illness. Andy had a long career in NZ, Australia, London and Europe. I first played with Andy when he came to Melbourne from Auckland to join Dave MacRae, Bernie McGann and myself at the Fat Black Pussycat venue in 1964. The band was known as The Heads and played at the club five nights a week. There were later appearances in Brisbane and Sydney under that name, sometimes with the addition of Bob Bertles. Andy and I played in different situations together throughout the rest of the '60s including The Way Out Club in Brisbane, Spellsons in Newport, The Dollar Club in Adelaide and, in Sydney, The Mandarin Club, The El Rocco with the Chuck Yates Trio, and two years at Chequers Nightclub. Andy Brown (bass) is on the far right, then R-L, John Pochée (drums), Bernie McGann (alto saxophone), Bob Bertles (obscured behind McGann), Dave MacRae (piano) at the Katoomba Jazz Festival in 1966…PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN During this time, we still played concerts as a quartet or quintet and played on the Katoomba and Newport Jazz Festivals as the Dave MacRae Quartet. In 1967 we were featured along with bands led by Judy Bailey, John Sangster and Don Burrows on the historic recording Jazz Australia. This featured Bernie's original Spirit Song, which has been recorded many times and has since become something of an Australian jazz classic. 1 Another shot at the Katoomba Jazz Festival in 1966. Andy Brown (bass) is on the left, then L-R, Bob Bertles (alto sax) and Bernie McGann (alto sax)… PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN Andy spent part of the 80s in London and came back to Sydney for a while in 1989. He played several gigs and toured Australia with the Bernie McGann Trio and Ten Part Invention before returning to Auckland. He became involved in various entrepreneurial ventures and played with many noted US jazz stars when they visited NZ. Brown played with many noted US jazz stars when they visited NZ. Here he is pictured (far left) with L-R, Kim Paterson, Ray Edmondson and American trumpeter Bobby Shew… 2 Dave MacRae and I have kept in touch with Andy through the years and have both performed in Auckland at the London Bar, which Andy booked. The Heads, who played at the Fat Black Pussycat in Melbourne in 1964, from the top down, Dave MacRae, Bernie McGann, John Pochée, Bob Bertles, Andy Brown… PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN I was too ill with bronchitis to fly over for the funeral but sent a few words, which were read by the great drummer Frank Gibson. Dave MacRae attended and reports that Andy had a very large funeral, which was a testament to his stature and a wonderful celebration of his life. Andy was a wonderfully swinging bassist with a big commanding sound, which was a joy to play with. He was a larger-than-life character, who was always full of fun. He is survived by his wife Penny and two children Hanna and Angus, and a daughter Kelly from an earlier marriage. He will be missed by his many friends around the globe. 3 .