Friday, May 25, 2012

Addendum to I remember Clifford Part 2

In my haste to wrap up my last post I overlooked this gem: Clifford Brown All Stars: Caravan. This was recorded August 11, 1954. The All Stars are Clifford (of course), with Herb Geller and Joe Maini jr. on alto, Walter Benton on tenor, Curtis Counce on bass, Kenny Drew on piano and Max Roach on drums. The album consists of two tracks: Caravan (clocks in at 15:17) and Autumn in New York (clocks in at 21:45). Here is a truncated clip from Caravan to give a taste of what is on the album:


From a review I posted on another site: This is one of the most energetic albums to come from the Brown and Roach collaboration. Caravan, as performed by the ensemble, is at a tempo that I am sure was never envisioned by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington when they wrote it. That it maintains that tempo and sense of energy for over fifteen minutes is a marvel in itself, but the real treat is Brown whose tone any ability to articulate every note at the tempo is why he will always be remembered as one of the greatest trumpeters ever born.

Autumn in New York has long been one of my personal favorite tunes, with Billie Holiday's rendition at the top of my list. This rendition is my second favorite. Brown's intro and one exquisite chorus after another provides 21 minutes of sheer joy.

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