Velzoe Brown
Velzoe Brown (1 March 1910-4 May 2011) was a jazz pianist and trombonist.[1] Brown was raised in Nebraska to parents who were musicians; her mother a pianist and her father played trumpet. She was one of five children, and learned to play piano without any lessons. At the age of 13 she started to play trombone, using an instruction book to guide her.[2] She was the first chair in Omaha Tech High School’s marching band. At age 16 she joined the all-women traveling jazz band, the Pollyanna Syncopators and they played from New York to San Francisco throughout the 1920s.[3] After the group dis-banded due to The Great Depression, Brown moved to California, playing with top jazz bands including the Juanita Connors band[4].[5]
She moved to Santa Cruz, California in 1960, and lived there for over 50 years. Brown never married or had children.[6] She was still performing regularly until 2010 with her quintet, Velzoe Brown and The Upbeats. She died at the age of 101 in Santa Cruz, California.[7]
References
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^ "MUSICAL LIVES: Celebrating Senior Musicians of Santa Cruz County". www.folkplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
^ "At 99, Velzoe Brown doesn't miss a beat". SFGate. 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
^ "MUSICAL LIVES: Celebrating Senior Musicians of Santa Cruz County". www.folkplanet.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
^ BV, Vcreations Webdesign. "The Syncopators Hardtop Mystery (Update)". www.prewarcar.com. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
^ "News and talk tops in overall local radio market". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 2006-03-10. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
^ "Beloved Santa Cruz jazz pianist Velzoe Brown dies at 101". The Mercury News. 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
