“Along with Ron Carter, Ray Brown is one of the greatest upright players. Ray brought such character and musicality to the bass. He made a lot of solo albums where he was the leader, but the funny thing was, the records really weren’t about the bass. He didn’t make music to show how well he could play. He was just doing what he should do as a bass player.

“On that note, I have to single out the stuff he did with Oscar Peterson, especially in a trio context. Ray has a feel that I would call perfect. He doesn’t call attention to himself, and in a band that small, that’s saying something.

“He makes me want to play the upright bass.This is going to sound weird, but when I hear him play, I say to myself, ‘I can do that.’ He doesn’t make what he’s doing sound so out of my reach. He doesn’t go way outside with weird notes – he stays inside. Any time he hits a grace note, you can tell what it is. Everything he plays, you hear the pitch. He’s the perfect upright bass player. There’s nothing left unsaid, undone. It’s just beautiful.”