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The Ray Abrams Orchestra is a virtual history of the Brooklyn Jazz scene. Hank Doughty originally organized the band and brought Ray on board to co-lead. After Ray passed in 1992, and Hanks health became an issue, members of the band have kept their legacy alive through the wealth of compositions and arrangements that they left. Don Maynard and Ervin Simpson were members who became the band’s leaders and unfortunately, they too have also passed on. The leadership has been handed down to it’s present leader, Don Echoles Conway.
Ray’s compositions are as fresh today as they were when Ray first wrote them. The band’s repetoire includes charts from beloved alumnus, Joseph Knight Jr. and Marion Davis, as well as the writing talents of Frank Foster, Sammy Nestico, Quincy Jones, Neal Hefti, Duke Ellington and many others. Donna “Tulivu” Cumberbatch is still the band’s vocalist and is forever grateful to Ray for penning a few of the band’s arrangements especially for her. Her smooth vocal stylings have made her one of New York’s hottest, finest and most sought after vocalist on the Jazz scene today. |
