Customer Reviews

Beginning & The End

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Clifford was not only a great voice on the instrument but he was a very special person as well. He didn't mess around with drugs like most jazz musicians of the 1950's and he did so much in the five-six years he spent making records before the tragic car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in summer of 1956. To make matters worse, Clifford wasn't even driving the car. He was a beautiful person, and all of this comes out in his playing. The heart, virtuosic trumpet lines, smooth vibrato, it's all here. This recording features the first and last recorded performances of Clifford Brown. "Ida Red" and "I Come From Jamaica" are just typical big-band reggae-flavored tunes but Clifford's breathtaking solos on these tracks brighten them, almost as if they are bringing out a little bit of sunshine into an otherwise forgettable session. The last recorded performance of Clifford includes him playing with a small group including Ziggy Vines on tenor saxophone, Sam Dockery on piano and a couple other local cats. Clifford blazes on "A Night In Tunisia", probably one of if not the best recording of the tune ever made. His solo is amazing and full of beautiful lines. Listen to this track and you will already know why Clifford was considered one of the best even at such a young age. On "Walkin'" it's classic Clifford again just jammin' with the group and he exhibits some cool licks here too. "Donna Lee" is played at a speedy pace and Clifford comes clearly throughout, sounding as strong and soulful as ever on this Charlie Parker tune. Listen to his last words at the end, which are sadly prophetic. "You've made me feel so wonderful, but I really must go now". This is a great example of Clifford's impeccable technique and great improvisation abilities. A must for any jazz fan.

The first Clifford Brown record I ever heard was his 1953 Blue Note version of "Cherokee," and it totally overwhelmed me. This, however, was the first complete Brown album I bought, and though the two early tracks are interesting it is the 1956 session that pulls us in. Especially in "Night in Tunisia," the by-then standard Dizzy Gillespie tune, Brownie's improvisations are so breathtaking, so well-sculpted and musically secure, that one is left breathless by his powers of invention. Unfortunately, saxist Ziggy Vine is just an OK improvisor, certainly not on the level of a Sonny Rollins, and so once Brownie is done playing there's a bit of a letdown when Vine comes in. Nevertheless, this is highly recommended to any serious student of jazz as how to improvise in a way that is both logically structured and exciting. Wynton Marsalis, take note!

Clifford Brown was arguably the greatest jazz trumpet improvisationalist. This album is arguably the best representation of that fact, in particular Night in Tunisia and Donna Lee. His power and inventiveness are pure and exquisite.

Just 2 more cents. This live version of "A Night in Tunisia" is beyond unreal. It was recorded in the back room of a record store not long before Brownie was picked to play in the horn section in the sky alongside Angel Gabriel.

Like many jazz trumpet fans, I can't pick a favorite version of "...Tunisia". There are many beautiful ones, all different, like fine wines.

That said, what Clifford played this night was pure magic.

To hear the crowd snapping, clapping, crowing, urging Brownie on, "Go, GO!", glasses clinking...my word, you feel like you are THERE. I have been listening to this recording on VINYL on tape on Cd since 1974 when a sax player named Onion from a funk band called LTD played it for me, and I had to run out and get my own Lp! ...It never gets old.

Clifford was a great, great genius. What a loss for the world. Thanks, Sweet Clifford, for all you left behind. We love you, and will treasure your music forever.

Clifford's first and last performances make up this album. It only makes one think what Clifford would have done had he lived. He was improving so much, and had taken the trumpet world by storm. Today, there are few trumpet players who can even hold a candle to Clifford's greatness. It was fun to hear Clifford in the Reggae/R&B band because you can tell there is something there in his solos. He sounds intense, almost as if he was a great, uncovered secret at the time. "I Come From Jamaica" reminds me a bit of a tune Rafael Mendez played called "Bo Bo Baila". These are amusing songs. Clifford's last performance, a guest showing, features the tunes "Walkin'", "A Night In Tunisia" and "Donna Lee". Clifford solos brilliantly on all of them, especially "Night In Tunisia", where he plays one of the greatest recorded solos I've ever heard. On "Donna Lee" he goes absolutely nuts and they play the tune with such speed and precision, proving why Clifford is the man. "Walkin'" is simply a warm-up, everyone sounds great but it's less intense than the following performances. This shows what a great night out could be back in the 1950's. The painful irony is the end where Clifford says he "must go now and it's been a pleasure being here". Truly an ominous omen. Clifford was a tragic loss for the music world, and this last performance is a wonderful thing to remember him by.

This collection captures an early Clifford Brown in 1952 with Chris Powell's Blue Flames, and R&B group, and in 1956 in a lengthy blowing session ("Tunisia" and "Donna Lee") just hours before his tragic death. The sound will bring you back in time, to the small and lively clubs where these performances were recorded. Brownie is powerful, energetic, and at his peak (although, in these club settings his sound is more raw and improvisational than in his masterful studio sessions).

This album was my first introduction to Clifford Brown back in 1978. I was so totally blown away by the last track, "Donna Lee". I couldn't believe what I was hearing... According to the liner notes, this was apparently Cliffords last performance, hours before his tragic car accident, June 26th, 1956. But, within the past several years, it has been discovered that this was recorded in 1955, a little over a year before Brownies tragic death. Nevertheless, it has always been said about Clifford Brown, that whenever he played, it was like he was playing for the last time. And Charlie Parker once told Clifford, " I hear what your saying, but I don't believe it." This is a must have for any Cliffor Brown fan.

The man's life was cut short and this CD is also short (34 minutes) yet is a dynamic collection of music showcasing his earliest days and then his final days captured as a full circle testament on this excellent release.
Showcasing tracks from 1952 and 1956..from the earliest days with the r&b (Jamaican cuts here)band of Chris Powell to the jazz masterpieces he cut 1n 1956 with this fine Philly based band Brown's trumpet is masterful and gorgeous.
Their treatment of Charlie Parker's Donna Lee, Dizzy's, Night In Tunisia and the popular Walkin' makes this a real wonderful CD eager to make you go listen to his output with Blue Note,Verve and Emarcy,Prestige when he cut tremendously important and geourgeous music with the likes of Sarah Vaughn,Sonny Rollins,Max Roach,Harold Land,Zoot Simms just some of the company of notables..a shooting star he was..

My first jazz record as a teen in NYC was Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street. I have always loved his playing -- a jazz immortal full of love for life. I was a counselor at a campground when I heard of his death, and it took me a long time to get over it.

But here we have, on Night in Tunisia, THE SOLO. It's made an impression on music lovers. It seems even bigger because of the ad hoc environment and players: CB at his most relaxed.

A few years ago, I attended a Washington, DC performance of the 1999 Tony Award best play, "Side Man", which is about hypothetical 50's NYC jazz men and their relationships. I knew little about the play, but was astounded when the actors started dialoguing about the great Bebop players I loved....and then, action stopped and they played THE SOLO on speakers. In silence, the actors wagged their heads and snapped their fingers for those immortal three minutes. If that wasn't a supreme Broadway tribute to CB, I don't know what betters it. Who ever heard of a play bisected by a special piece of music that tells the audience, "hey, over and above this drama, if you missed out on CB, you ought to dig him." But that's how great CB was.

Great, great jazz. At the end of the set--his last ever recorded; he died in a car crash on the way home from this performance--Brownie says an upbeat 'thanks and goodbye' to the audience. The music and the poignancy of the recording will bring tears to your eyes.