Like swing guitarist
Charlie Christian,
Clifford Brown was incredibly influential for someone who died so young. The
Fats Navarro-minded trumpeter was only 25 when a car accident claimed his life in 1956, but his influence remained long after his death --
Freddie Hubbard,
Lee Morgan,
Woody Shaw,
Donald Byrd, and
Carmell Jones were among the many trumpet titans who were heavily influenced by
Brown. In the early to mid-'50s,
Brown kept getting more and more exciting; those who found him impressive in 1952 found even more reason to be impressed in 1955. That means that when it comes to
Brown's dates, excellent doesn't necessarily mean essential. Recorded in 1953, the material here isn't quite as essential as some of
Brown's work with drummer
Max Roach in 1954 and 1955, but it's still superb. The trumpet icon is heard at two different sessions, the first with saxmen
Gigi Gryce and
Charlie Rouse, pianist John Lewis, bassist
Percy Heath, and drummer
Art Blakey. The other includes
Heath, alto saxman
Lou Donaldson, pianist
Elmo Hope, and drummer
Philly Joe Jones (who in 1953 was two years away from joining
Miles Davis' quintet).
Brown's solos are consistently expressive; he swings unapologetically hard on up-tempo fare like "Carvin' the Rock," "Cherokee," and
Quincy Jones' "Wail Bait," but is quite lyrical on the ballads "You Go to My Head" and "Easy Living." One thing all of the performances have in common is a strong
Fats Navarro influence;
Navarro was
Brown's primary inspiration, although
Brown became quite distinctive himself at an early age. Casual listeners would be better off starting out with some of
Brown's recordings with
Max Roach; nonetheless, seasoned fans will find this to be a treasure chest. ~ Alex Henderson