John Lee & Gerry Brown -

John Lee & Gerry Brown were an American jazz-funk duo that cut the 1974 album Infinite Jones for Keystone, followed by the 1975–76 Blue Note titles Mango Sunrise and Still Can’t Say Enough and the 1979 Columbia release Chaser.

Members: John Lee (bass), Gerry Brown (drums)

Background

Gerry Brown (born November 9, 1951) hailed from Philadelphia, where he drummed from age five and played in high school R&B groups with minister’s son John Lee (born June 28, 1952), a transplant from New England who studied bass from age ten. Brown earned his first credit on Left & Right, the 1969 Atlantic release by Roland Kirk.

In 1972, Brown and Lee convened in Amsterdam as members of the Chris Hinze Combination. They backed Hinze on three albums—Virgin Sacrifice, Mission Suite, and Sister Slick—and also played on 1973/74 albums by Joachim Kühn (Cinemascope), Philip Catherine, Charlie Mariano, and Jasper van’t Hof..

Infinite Jones

John Lee & Gerry Brown released their first duo album, Infinite Jones, in 1974 on Keytone.

The album presents bassist John Lee and drummer Gerry Brown with flutist Chris Hinze and saxophonist Gary Bartz. Vocalist Henny Vonk and percussionist Howard King appear with keyboardists Rob Van Den Broeck, Hubert Eaves, Jasper Van’t Hof, and Wim Stolwijk.

“Infinite Jones” opens with broken low pulses and cymbal shimmer, then drops into a half-time theme with wordless voice tucked under the lead line. “Deliverance” states its theme through a dense rhythmic floor, then narrows into a softer solo passage before sliding bass figures pull the track toward the keyboard break. “Jua” spins its six-note theme through a rolling six/eight pulse and shifts the front line across the repeated phrase.

“Absitively Posolutely” starts in an exposed solo passage, then crowds percussion chatter and whistle tones into a frantic close. “Rise On” rides a samba undercurrent while voice and horn lines cross the rising bass figures. “Who Can See the Shadow of the Moon” sets bowed low tones and wordless voices in a hushed opening, then tightens into a marchlike cadence. “Bamboo Madness” cuts a breathy bamboo line against hand percussion and a low acoustic pulse.

A1. “Infinite Jones” (6:42) – Lee
A2. “Deliverance” (13:43) – Lee

B1. “Jua” (7:04) – Lee
B2. “Absitively Posolutely” (2:57) – Brown
B3. “Rise On” (3:17) – Lee
B4. “Who Can See the Shadow of the Moon” (5:17) – Hinze
B5. “Bamboo Madness” (2:30) – Hinze

Hinze produced Infinite Jones on June 23–24, 1973 at Dureco Studio in Weesp, Holland, with recording engineer Emile Elsen.

Infinite Jones appeared in a sleeve designed by Wouter Stips with photography by Laura Friedman.

Mango Sunrise

John Lee & Gerry Brown released their second album, Mango Sunrise, in 1975 on Blue Note.

The album contains eight Lee compositions and the Lee–Brown co-write “The Stop and Go.” Lee performs on electric bass, synthesizer, and clavinet. Guitarists Eff Albers, Philip Catherine, and Wah Wah Watson appear with keyboardists Rob Franken, Jasper Van’t Hof, Eric Tagg, and Mike Mandel.

“Mango Sunrise” clips short accents under a string-synth wash, then passes solo lines through the track. “Breakfast of Champions” drives its lead break across a firm backbeat and compact ensemble punctuation. “The Stop and Go” snaps tight breaks into stop-start accents. “Her Celestial Body” slows the pulse and leaves open space around a spare lead line.

A1. “Mango Sunrise” (5:17) – Lee
A2. “Breakfast of Champions” (4:03) – Lee
A3. “Keep It Real” (5:21) – Lee
A4. “Ethereal Cereal” (3:40) – Lee

B1. “The Stop and Go” (3:12) – Lee–Brown
B2. “Her Celestial Body” (5:10) – Lee
B3. “Pickin’ the Bone” (5:10) – Lee
B4. “Magnum Opus” (5:09) – Lee
B5. “Haida” (2:53) – Lee

Skip Drinkwater produced in June 1975 Mango Sunrise at Dureco Studio in Weesp, Holland.

Mango Sunrise appeared in a sleeve directed and designed by Bob Cato with photography by Eric Cato and inner-sleeve photography by Doug Metzler.

The duo also backed Toto Blanke on his 1975 Vertigo release Spider’s Dance. Separately, Lee played on concurrent albums by Eleventh House (Level One) and Piano Conclave (Palais Anthology) while Brown backed Michał Urbaniak and Urszula Dudziak on the couple’s 1975 sequence: Fusion III, Urszula, and Funk Factory.

Still Can’t Say Enough

John Lee & Gerry Brown released their third album, Still Can’t Say Enough, in 1976 on Blue Note.

The album contains seven John Lee compositions and one Gerry Brown composition. Lee and Brown perform with percussionist Mtume, vocalists Tawatha Agee, C.P. Alexander, and Donald Smith, guitarists Ray Gomez and Reggie Lucas, keyboardists Hubert Eaves, Harold Ivory Williams IV, Ian Underwood, and Rob Franken, and a horn section that includes trumpeter Jon Faddis, trombonist Barry Rodgers and saxophonists Gary Bartz, David Sanborn, Ernie Watts, and Ronnie Cuber, plus the Brecker Brothers.

“Freeze It Up” clips horn riffs over clavinet, organ, and percussion weight. “Love the Way You Make Me Feel” sets group voices inside the track and leaves space for a synthesizer break. “Rise On” drives a twin-guitar theme into broad horn phrases, then passes through short solo turns. “Funky Row” rides a rolling bass line into horn punctuation and a tenor break. “Talkin’ ’Bout the Right One” places group voices around the title text before Gary Bartz enters. “Breakin’” cuts guitar and synthesizer breaks across the rhythm track. “Down the Way” gives the tenor line the main theme before alto and tenor solos answer it.

A1. “Freeze It Up” (4:49) – Lee
A2. “Love the Way You Make Me Feel” (5:06) – Lee
A3. “Rise On” (6:12) – Brown
A4. “Funky Row” (3:43) – Lee

B1. “Talkin’ Bout the Right One” (5:11) – Lee
B2. “Strut ’N’ Get Up” (4:38) – Lee
B3. “Breakin’” (4:26) – Lee
B4. “Down the Way” (5:20) – Lee
B5. “Out the Box” (1:27) – Lee

Skip Drinkwater produced Still Can’t Say Enough with executive producers George Butler and Jerry Schoenbaum. Ron Johnsen and Don Murray recorded the album, while Don Murray remixed it with remix assistants Lee, Brown, and Drinkwater. Bernie Grundman mastered the album at A&M Studios.

Sessions took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York and Sound Labs in Hollywood. Sound Labs also served as the remix location. Bruce Steinberg and Ellie Oberzil co-designed the sleeve with photography by Steinberg. Blue Note issued “Strut ’N’ Get Up” with “Freeze It Up” on a 1976 12-inch single.

Brown also played on 1976/77 albums by Stanley Clarke (School Days), Miroslav Vitous (Majesty Music), Return to Forever (Musicmagic), Art Webb (Love Eyes), Joachim Kühn (Springfever), and Zbigniew Seifert (st). Lee appeared on the last three and also earned credits with The Visitors (Motherland), Coryell/Mouzon (Back Together Again), Hubert Eaves (Esoteric Funk), and Bruce Fisher (Red Hot).

Chaser

John Lee & Gerry Brown released their fourth album, Chaser, in 1979 on Columbia.

The album contains four Lee compositions, one Brown composition, two Eef Albers compositions, and the Lee–Brown co-write “Prospect Park.” Lee and Brown produced the album for Zembu Productions with guitarist Eef Albers, guitarist Darryl Thompson, keyboardist Kenneth Knudsen, saxophonist Bob Malach, and trumpeter-percussionist Palle Mikkelborg.

“Chaser” opens the album with the longest instrumental stretch and leaves the title track to the rhythm pair. “Will It Last?” brings group voices into a horn-led setting. “Fate Ripper” cuts its middle section through two guitar-solo passes. “Daily Planets” shortens the side into a compact instrumental turn. “What It If” adds Palle Mikkelborg trumpet and percussion to the second-side sequence. “Prospect Park” closes the album with the final ensemble statement.

A1. “Chaser” (5:59) – Lee
A2. “Will It Last?” (4:43) – Brown
A3. “Fate Ripper” (4:33) – Lee
A4. “Daily Planets” (3:52) – Lee

B1. “Celebration” (4:43) – Lee
B2. “What It If” (4:37) – Albers
B3. “New Waves” (4:16) – Albers
B4. “Prospect Park” (4:54) – Brown–Lee

Lee and Brown produced Chaser at Easy Sound Studio in Copenhagen with engineer Henrik Lund and assistant engineer Niels Erik Lund. Columbia issued the album with executive producer Jerry Schoenbaum.

John Berg designed the sleeve, and Mark Hess illustrated the cover. The front cover shows the album title and artist names against a red-and-black illustrated field.

Columbia issued “Will It Last?” (b/w “Celebration”), followed by “Chaser” as a two-sided single.

Discography: