|
Clifford
Brown was born October 30, 1930 in Wilmington, Delaware. Brown
took up trumpet at the age of 13 and under the tutelage of his band
director at high school, Harry Andrews, developed an extraordinary
technical facility. While studying mathematics at Delaware State
He
joined Tadd Dameron's band for a recording session (the results of which
were later issued as The Clifford Brown Memorial Album) and for
appearances in summer 1953 at Atlantic City, New Jersey. In
the autumn of 1953 he was a member of the big band Lionel Hampton took
to Europe. Hampton's
trumpet section at the time consisted of Art Farmer, Quincy Jones,
Walter Williams, and Brown, all of whom were superb players. This
band attracted considerable attention during its tour. Contrary to
contractual stipulations, many of the young musicians moonlighted on
various recordings and Brown in particular was singled out for such
sessions. On
his return to the USA, Brown
was fired along with most of the rest of the band when Hampton learned
of the records they had made. Brown
went on to perform with several East Coast groups before joining a newly
formed ensemble led by Art Blakey with Max Roach, he formed the
Brown-Roach Quintet, with which he was associated until he was killed
two years later in an automobile accident. The quintet, whose other
members were Harold Land (replaced in December 1955 by Sonny Rollins),
George Morrow, and Richie Powell, was one of the most significant groups
of the 1950s and had a major influence on the establishment of the style
later known as hard bop.
 At
a time when many modern jazz trumpeters sought technical expertise at
the expense of tone, Brown, in common with his friend and paradigm,
Navarro, had technique to spare but also developed a rich, full and
frequently beautiful tone. At the same time, whether playing at
scorching tempos or on languorous ballads, his range was exhaustive. He
was enormously and brilliantly inventive but his search for original
ideas was never executed at the expense of taste. In all his work, Brown
displayed the rare combination of supreme intelligence and great
emotional depths. His playing was only one aspect of his talent; he was
also a fine composer, creating many works that have become modern jazz
standards. Although his career was brief, Brown's influence persisted
for a while in the work of Lee Morgan and throughout succeeding decades
in that of Freddie Hubbard. Fortunately for jazz fans, Brown's own work
persists in the form of his recordings, almost any of which can be
safely recommended as outstanding examples of the very best of jazz.
Indeed, all of his recordings with Roach are classics.
ALBUMS Clifford Brown: Jazz Immortal (Pacific Jazz, 1954, Rudy Van Gelder remastering, 2001) New Star On The Horizon (Blue Note 1953) Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1953) Brownie: The Complete EmArcy Recordings of Clifford Brown (Verve) Clifford Brown (Verve; selections from Brownie) Brown and Roach Incorporated (EmArcy, 1954) Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (EmArcy, 1954) Study in Brown (EmArcy, 1955) Max Roach and Clifford Brown in Concert (GNP Crescendo, 1955) Clifford Brown and Max Roach (EmArcy, 1955) At Basin Street (EmArcy, 1956) The Clifford Brown Sextet in Paris (Prestige, 1953) Clifford Brown with Strings (EmArcy, 1955) The Clifford Brown Big Band in Paris (Prestige, 1953) Daahoud (Mainstream Records, 1972) Live at the Bee Hive (with Max Roach; Columbia Records, 1979) Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years (Mercury, 1995) |
|
RELATED T |
