Marshall Brown (musician)

Marshall Brown (1920–1983) was a jazz musician and educator. He played trombones and, less often, bass trumpet or euphonium, and even less often electric bass & banjo. He played the valve trombone.

Brown was little recorded, and devoted most of his career to education. He earned a music degree from New York University, as a member of the Zeta Psi Fraternity.

Marshall Brown was also a high school band director leading the Farmingdale New York 'Daler' Band from the early 1950s through 1957. Brown was the first high school band director to initiate a jazz education program, which he did in his tenure at Farmingdale High. By 1956 his stage band (jazz big band) the Daler Dance Band was so formidable and impressive (boasting future jazz stars Michael Abene on piano, Andrew Marsala, saxophone, and whiz drummer Larry Ramsden) that one night at the '57 Newport Jazz Festival, Count Basie, late for his appearance, as he entered the festival grounds heard the Daler Band performing their set and exclaimed, "Damn, they started already", mistaking the 'Dalers' for his band! The average age of the band members was 14!

Brown received some attention for performing in a quartet with Pee Wee Russell in the early 1960s. While Russell was most often associated with Dixieland or swing music, their quartet performed more adventurous, free jazz-oriented pieces, including pieces by Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.

During the 60s Marshall was the resident trombonist in Jimmy Ryan's - noted as a dixieland venue. He also club dated with Luke O'Malley's Irish band during this time.

Brown also performed or recorded with Ruby Braff and Beaver Harris and Lee Konitz.

Originally Marshall came to the US from Canada. At that time he was Marshall Braun. Obviously he did a name change & settled in Boston. Here became part of O'Leary's Irish Minstrels as a banjo player! It was the leading Irish band in Boston at the time.

Discography