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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly a masterpiece from a most underrated artist in jazz, June 5, 2003
With Miles Davis succeeding so well in the 1950's and "out performing" any other trumpeter in that decade some forget about some of the other fine brilliant trumpets that were in the shadows, I'm sorry to say, of Miles Davis. Some of these trumpeters included Kenny Dorham, Dizzy Gillespie, and of course Clifford Brown. A big influence to many brilliant trumpeters such as Lee Morgan, who actually modeled his sound after Clifford Brown, Clifford Brown had a new sound, a bold screamin' sound that was essential to the movement into the more "modern" jazz at that point. In this album he is joined by one of the finest hard core drummers of the time, Max Roach, Harold Land, another truly outspoken artist, on tenor, George Morrow on bass and Richie Powell on piano. Every single cut on this album are just true jewels. This is a must for any one unfamiliar with Clifford Brown.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be bought more often!, March 16, 2003
On the Amazon list of recordings of Clifford Brown this is far below where it should be. To my mind it was, all in all, the most gratifying album he ever made. All the excitement that this group was capable of producing is best heard here, and in a great variety of truly excellent "tunes'. "Jordu", for example, is an absolute classic; a really wonderful melody in its own right, with astounding solos to match. So are "Joy Spring", "Parisian Thoroughfare" , and "Daahoud" - in fact, there is not a single disappointing track here, anywhere. This record was perhaps the one that brought Brown to true international fame, and it has lasted down the years with undimished splendour and brilliant, yet moving force. Brown's inventiveness was extraordinary, and combined with an ability to produce a greater emotional range than Dizzy Gillespie, whose skill and virtuosity he seems to match while nevertheless having his own very individual voice and having, to my mind, ultimately more to say. Had Brown lived beyond age 25 he would no doubt have been the greatest trumpeter besides Miles Davis. It is hard to compare the greatnesses of these two: Davis is on the whole the introvert and minimalist, while Brown states what he has to say more explicitly. Emotionally and artistically, both seem to me equally good, and those who so far have only got Miles Davis in their collection, as their favourite trumpet player for, say, the fifties and sixties, should certainly hurry to buy this recording. And I need to state that the performance of this particular ensemble is one of the great reasons for Brown's success on this album. Max Roach was, of course, one of the greatest of all drummers, at any time, and his interaction with Brown is absolutely superb. There is no uncontrolled egotism on either side, but wonderful support. Harold Land is not as great a genius as Brown - few are - but nevertheless a very, very good tenor who complements him beautifully. The piano and bass, while less exciting, are nevertheless fine, and fit into the total picture very well indeed. A truly excellent record, which continues to satisfy whenever you play it - indeed astonishes with its excellence. I would give it 6 stars if I could. You would never regret owning this CD. - Joost Daalder
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
About as good as it gets, April 22, 2000
By A Customer
The playing, song selection and, thanks to the fantastic 24 bit remastering job, the recording quality is about as good as it gets. When you consider what the engineers must have started with on this 1954 recording what they have accomplished isn't much less than a miracle. Absolute state-of-the-art sound! This album joins a small number of lesser known masterpeices in the jazz field like Serge Challoff's Blue Serge and Chico Freeman's Spitit Sensitive at the very top of the heap.
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