Memorial Album (1953)
8
Wail Bait (alternate take) / Wail Bait / Hymn of the Orient / Brownie
Eyes / Cherokee (alternate take) / Cherokee / Easy Living / Minor Mood
/ Hymn of the Orient / Bellarosa / Carvin' the Rock (alternate take) / Carvin'
the Rock / Cookin' (alternate take) / Cookin' / Brownie Speaks
/ De-Dah / You Go To My Head / Carvin' the Rock (alternate take)
In
terms of wasted potential, the premature death of Clifford Brown in a car
crash in 1956 still stands as one of jazz' biggest tragedies. It's not only
the fact that his potential seemed to keep expanding until he died at the
age of 25, but also the sheer fact that he allegedly was not a walking
drug/alcohol-problem, unlike many of his contemporaries and predecessors,
like Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Chet Baker and Fats Navarro. The latter's
lively style also proved to be the main influence on Brown - along with the
acrobatics of Dizzy Gillespie. Like Navarro, who found his partner in pianist
Tadd Dameron and recorded his best sessions with him, Brown would eventually
find his soul brother in Max Roach in 1954 - a partnership that continued
until his life ended. Since he only started recording in 1952, this implies
his commanding legacy was based on a mere four years of recording music. Compare
that to the multiple-decade careers of the more fortunate jazz musicians (Sonny
Rollins is still playing, for instance) and you'll realize that the brief
career of Brown must've been something special. As a matter of fact, it almost
seems that Brown was almost as influential as Miles Davis. Interestingly,
his influence was perhaps less profound and his contributions to jazz less
incisive, but as Davis' counterpart, he was technically a better player with
a joyful, almost victorious tone and ultra-vital character. Perhaps he wasn't
a note-slinger like Gillespie, but the knack for coming up with perfectly
crafted solos and melodies was equally impressive. This is already obvious
from these fairly traditional sessions, but with Roach, Brown would play (and
compose) some of the most thrilling, catchy and impressive jazz of the immediate
post-bop era, preceding the hard-bop exploits that would take over in the
late 50s.
The 18 songs on Memorial Album were taken from two sessions in the spring and summer of 1953. The first nine tracks were recorded with a sextet consisting of Brown, sax players Gigi Gryce and Charlie Rouse, Modern Jazz Quartet members John Lewis (piano) and Percy Heath (bass) and Art Blakey on drums. The next nine tracks (actually the earliest session) was put to tape by the quintet of Brown, rising sax player Lou Donaldson, pianist Elmo Hope, Percy Heath and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The two line-ups are actually very similar in style, even though the first one here might sound a bit more old-timey due to the double sax-attack. In any case, there's some strong ensemble playing going on here, as Brown isn't the undisputed leader yet. As conventional be-bop goes, these songs are usually quite short, with various short solos alternated with a key motif. The sound is pretty good, although it seems that producer Alfred Lion mainly had a soft spot for the brass-blowers here. Blakey remains remarkably restrained throughout the sessions, while both the sax players and Brown get several moments to show off their qualities, both separately and in unison, which has some sections almost evoke the grandness of a big band. Highlights are Gryce's "Hymn of the Orient," which actually doesn't sound very oriental, but boasts a nifty trumpet solo; as well as the up-tempo race of "Cherokee," which is an early showcase for the trumpeter's gift. The second (but oldest) session continues the strong quality with three versions of Hope's "Carvin' the Rock" (during which Donaldson actually steals the show), two takes of the sax player's "Cookin'" and Brown's own jittery "Brownie Speaks." The performances are excellent throughout, but when compared to the trumpeter's later work, these sessions are definitely (slightly) inferior and occasionally feel as if it's a gifted band at work that's going through the motions. Still, Memorial Album is an ideal album for be-bop fans and an excellent starting point to get acquainted with Brown.
Note: I absolutely detest this tendency of jazz albums to include alternate takes in between the "regular" songs. I'm perfectly aware that there are freaks, jazz students and other goofballs that get a kick out of hearing two takes of the same song after each other, but I'm not one of them, so I still prefer these alternate takes (five of 'em) tacked to the end. Or kept aside for one of them fancy, expensive box sets.
The Beginning and the End (1973)
8
I Come from Jamaica / Ida Red / Walkin' / Night in Tunisia / Donna
Lee
The
Beginning and the End was only released in 1973 by Columbia and supposedly
contained the first (songs 1 and 2) and last recording sessions of ill-fated
trumpeter Clifford Brown - and "last" can be taken literally, as the three
featured songs were recorded the night before Brown's life (as well as that
of pianist Richie Powell and his wife) tragically ended when his car skidded
of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Of course the liner notes to the album (and
all the reviews that followed) focused on this aspect of the album and especially
the fiery performances of Brown and his farewell speech at the end of the
performance ("It's been a pleasure being here, I really must go now"), which
gets an almost morbid ring to it. However, in his 2001 biography Clifford
Brown: The Life & Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter, music scholar Nick
Catalano argues that this session was actually recorded in May of 1955, more
than a year before Brown's death on June 26th, 1956. Whatever the truth is
- though it seems Catalano's discovery cannot be refuted - the jam session
that took place was entirely dominated by Brown's presence. While the band
he's playing with - Sam Dockery (piano), Ace Tisone (bass), Ellis Tollin (drums),
Ziggy Vines & Billy Root (tenor saxes) - is solid enough, it doesn't take
a trained ear to realize there's no battle of equals going on here, as opposed
to the legendary quintet, in which Brown was spurred to heights by demanding
players like Max Roach, Harold Land and Sonny Rollins. I'm not gonna argue
that the excitement-factor that is usually attributed to these sessions is
only the result of the circumstances, as Brown is outshining his colleagues
and playing his ass off during these three songs. Right in the beginning of
"Walkin'," he already plays a wonderfully constructed, melodic solo (followed
by sax, piano and drum solos), but it's his playing during the two last performances
that absolutely steal the show. There have been dozens worthwhile versions
of Gillespie's "Night in Tunisia," and while my favorite is still the you
can find on Sonny Rollins' A Night at the Village Vanguard, Brown's
solo is pure brilliance, both relaxed and extremely advanced, clambering up
and down the scales, alternating quick runs with staccato punctuations and
delivered with a fat, bright tone. The final track, a frenzied take on Charlie
Parker's "Donna Lee" is even more suitable to be studied at a jazz conservatory,
as the young star delivers two blistering solos that aspire at melodic and
structural perfection (that's how they sound anyway). The two peculiar
tunes that open the album are something entirely different. Originally credited
to Chris Powell and His Blue Flames, "I Come from Jamaica" somewhere situates
itself between Latin-tinged swing and R&B, with a sunny, exotic solo by Brown.
The swaying "Ida Red" is a bit less interesting, but it has a certain goofy
charm to it you could also find on many recordings by doo-woppers The Coasters.
Again, Brown's solo is fluid and catchy, but not even hinting at the greatness
you can hear on the other three tracks. Of course, The Beginning and the
End would've been even more interesting if it had really contained the
trumpeter's very last session (in which case nobody would've said a word about
the fact he easily outperformed the other musicians), but it's undeniably
an artist at the peak of his powers that you hear. Too bad that it rushes
by so quickly at a mere half hour.
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