Ted Brown: Just You, Just Me

NEW ARTISTS 1079 (RELEASED NOVEMBER, 2025)

Bassist Don Messina was lucky enough to play with tenor sax legend Ted Brown in the mid 1990s. He was even luckier when he began to play regularly with Brown in groups that included drummer Bill Chattin, saxophonist Jimmy Halperin or pianist Jon Easton. Luck struck again in 2013 when that group recorded their one and only release (Live at Trumpets) for the Cadence label. With the release of Just You, Just Me, fans of the Lennies Tristano-inspired music of Brown are the lucky ones. Messina and New Artists unearthed seven tracks recorded during 2013 at various venues in New York and New Jersey that capture the clarity and precision of Brown’s melodic inventions. Steeped in the lessons he learned from Tristano, Brown and the trio of Messina, Chattin and Easton delight in exploring up tempo swingers such as “After You’ve Gone” and “I Can’t Believe That You’re in Love with Me” as well as evocative ballads such as “Everything Happens to Me” and “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.” Brown’s light and airy tone and his flowing lines are perfectly suited for this set of standards that also includes the title track, “Gone with the Wind” and “It’s You or No One.” The trio of Easton, Messina and Chattin are perfect bandmates for Brown’s understated, yet expressive approach. Having studied with both Tristano and pianist Sal Mosca, Easton’s solos are full of finesse and percussive accents. Chattin, who also studied with Tristano, drives the group with his soft touch and his keen understanding of the tunes. Messina’s solid timekeeping and sensitive and storytelling solos are inspired by his association with Tristano that began in 1973. Since his first recording in 1956 (Freewheeling), Brown’s output has been sparse with only a dozen or more releases to his name, not to mention his sessions with Konitz, Marsh and Tristano. Having recently celebrated his 98^th birthday, Just You, Just Me is a reminder of the beauty, creativity and passion Ted Brown brought to the music. Like Messina, we are lucky to be recipients of his gifts.

BOTTOM LINE: Saxophonist Ted Brown turned 98 in early December. What better way to celebrate this milestone than with Just You, Just Me, a collection of tunes recorded in 2013. Rooted in the teachings of Lennie Tristano, Brown and the trio of Jon Easton on piano, Don Messina on bass and Bill Chattin on drums deliver a session of laid back swing and understated inventiveness.