Customer Reviews

Clifford Brown: The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter

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For those interested in more details of Brown's life and some insight into his character and musical discipline, this is a valuable source. Discussions of musical examples are often naive and somewhat inaccurate, but the book is interesting for the informative quotes from musicians and friends and an entertaining read for fans of the late Clifford Brown.

To my knowledge, this is the only full biography of Clifford Brown ever written. It covers his entire life, from his birth, through his Blue Flame days, all the way to his historical work with Max Roach. The book also includes 8 or so pages of pictures in the middle, which is great for those of you whom haven't seen brownie, and a nearly complete discography in the back of the book. Simply put, Clifford Brown is one of the best jazz trumpeters of all time (my favorite, personally), and quite possibly the most tragic loss in jazz history. Any jazz musicians, Clifford fans, or general jazz aficionados should check this book out if they are looking to learn about one of the greats.

Clifford Brown really was 'too good to be true'...didn't drink,do drugs...incredible jazz musician.Nick Catalano really
does an "impossible job" in telling the story of the great trumpeter who died tragically way before his time-and Catalano's anaysis of Brown's recordings makes the case that Brown is a man who "coulda been king"(even though he sorta was anyway).
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Catalano's book about Clifford Brown fails to convey much more than lame summary. The reader receives a readable account of the trumpeter's short life, but the writing itself leaves much to be desired in that it's unpolished, redundant, chatty, and rarely profound. (And it's got typos to boot!) How about this telling detail of Brown's stint in an R&B band? "Clifford Brown and Vance Wilson were quite close and got the kind of education that only comes from being on the road. One time, recalled Wilson, 'We were in Wildwood [New Jersey]. Clifford had never eaten raw clams and neither had I. So we dared each other. We went over to this counter where they were serving them, but we didn't know how to eat them.' They proceeded to put sauce on the clams and started to chew them, failing to notice other eaters who were 'slurping' them. Their exaggerated chewing made everyone laugh" (Catalano 62). Catalano's choice of quotations, in my opinion, is very suspect throughout the entire book. It's as though he's a high-school-essay-writing-novice trying to round out a paper and show that's he read a thing or two or interviewed someone or another, as the case may be. Ok, the book does contain some analysis of Brown's music, and provided that not much else has been written of the trumpeter, I suppose the book merits a cursory glance. But be prepared for some dull, over-accessible, easy-reading.

This is a good biography. Nevertheless, musical analyses are very weak and superflous.

I read this modest little work last summer in a cottage in the lakeland region of central Finland. The silence around me allowed me to think about Brownie's playing -its purity and clarity- uncontaminated by other music or noise. Of course the first thing I wanted to do when I got back to my records was listen to Brownie over and over again. Catalano paints a sensitive portrait in an approachable, occasionally shoddy style. Clifford Brown's music doesn't quite come alive, perhaps, but Catalano expresses the lucidity of the trumpeter's musical vision and astonishing melodic gift with some agility. It's not a penetrating insight, but there is no other book around (as far as I know) that tells the poignant story of the great trumpeter's short life, so this is an essential purchase.

Clifford Brown had one of the most beautiful trumpet tones in all of modern jazz, and technique that other players would die for. He was not your "typical" (as portrayed to the masses) jazz musician - he didn't drink, smoke, or use drugs; he had a family and a good marriage; he worked hard at his craft. The tragedy is that he was killed in a car crash at the age of 25 at the height of his powers. Even by then though, he had recorded a number of albums establishing himself as one of the greats in the business.

Catalano's book competently traces Brownie's life, from the beginnings in Wilmington, Delaware, to his days with the Lionel Hampton band, early sideman dates in NYC, gigs in LA and Chicago, and finally the formation of the Brown-Max Roach Quintet with Harold Land and then Sonny Rollins on tenor. Catalano is a musician so is able to analyze Brownie's performances and recordings, which he does well, but the life history of the man is told somewhat blandly. We finish the book with a good skeletal outline of Brown's life and career, but much of the meat seems missing.

This is a satisfactory look at the tragically short life and career of the great Brownie. Better copy editing and proofreading would have improved the somewhat sloppy presentation. All in all, a worthwhile read, especially at the low prices now available for used copies.