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Wellman Braud |
Bassist Wellman Braud (his family sometimes spelled their last name "Breaux", pronounced "Bro"), was born in St. James Parish, Louisiana, in 1891. He went to New Orleans in his early teens where he played violin and the upright bass and led a trio in Storyville before moving to Chicago in 1917. In 1923 he went to London with the Plantation Orchestra in which he doubled on bass and trombone. Moving on to New York City, he played with Wilber Sweatman's band before his big move to be part of Duke Ellington's Orchestra - he stayed with Ellington from 1926 to 1935. In 1970, Duke Ellington recorded the tribute Portrait Of Wellman Braud as part of his New Orleans Suite:
Branford Marsalis claims that Braud was the first to utilize the 'walking bass' style that features in more modern jazz, as against the 'two-beat' pattern the tuba played in New Orleans style jazz (Wellman doubled on tuba). In fact, Braud is a distant relative of Branford Marsalis and Branford's brothers through their mother's side.
Here is a video clip of Wellman Braud with the Ellington Orchestra playing Old Man Blues in the 1930 film Check And Double Check.
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Wellman's melodic bass playing, alternately plucking, slapping, and bowing, was an important feature of the early Ellington Orchestra sound in the 1920s and 1930s. Braud's playing on Ellington's regular radio broadcasts and recordings helped popularize the slap style of string bass playing, as well as encouraging many dance bands of the time to switch from using a tuba to an upright bass.
We can listen to Wellman playing on this 78 rpm record of Freeze And Melt by Joe Turner and his Memphis Men (a pseudonym for the Duke Ellington Orchestra). Various people say that this is generally thought to be the first recorded string bass solo:
In 1936 Braud co-managed a short lived Harlem club with Jimmie Noone, and recorded with the group Spirits of Rhythm from 1935 to 1937. He played with other New York bands including those of Kaiser Marshall, Hot Lips Page, and Sidney Bechet, and returned for a while to Ellington in 1944. In 1956 he joined the Kid Ory Band with whom he stayed for years.
Wellman Braud with Sidney Bechet.
Here is a recording of Sweet Sue by Sidney Bechet and Mugsy Spanier's Big Four in 1940 with Wellman on bass and Carmen Mastren on drums.
Wellman Braud died in Los Angeles, California in 1966.
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2017
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