Copyright 2000 www.cosmopolis.ch Louis Gerber All rights
reserved.
Clifford Brown
Biography Nick Catalano: Clifford Brown. The Life and
Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter. Oxford University Press, 2000, 208 p.
[August 17, 2002: out of print]
The trumpeter and composer Clifford Brown
was born in a African-American middle class family in Wilmington, DE, in
1930. He died in a tragic car accident in 1956, before his 26th birthday. But
it was not for this reason alone that he has become a legend. He had studied with band director
Harry Andrews, with Robert Lowery and Sam Wooding. In Philadelphia, he
performed together with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Fats Navarro,
whose style was a major influence on him. Clifford Brown studied math at
Delaware and music at the Maryland State College. Already in 1950, he was
hospitalized after a car accident. Later he played in Chris Powell's Blue
Flames band. In 1953, he toured Europe with Lionel Hampton, recorded with
Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, J.J. Johnson, Sarah Vaughan and
Dinah Washington. In 1954, he formed the Brown-Roach quintet, together
with drummer Max Roach. In 1955, Sonny Rollins became a member of the
group when he replaced Harold Land. Despite a professional career shorter
than five years, ended by a car accident while traveling from Philadelphia
to Chicago, Clifford Brown is considered one of the most influential jazz
trumpeters. Leonard Feather writes that he was "admired for his broad
tone and strong attack; flawless execution in all registers and at all
tempos; flowing, logical improvisations; and lyrical ballad
playing."
Nick Catalano, a University Performing Arts
Director and Professor of Music and Literature at Pace University, who
himself has not only taught and written about, but also played and
produced jazz, e.g. as a writer-producer of films and documentaries for
television, has written a notable biography on The Life and Art of
Clifford Brown. The trumpeter was a role model for other musicians because
he was clean-living and drug free. In this regard, he had an important
influence on tenor saxophone player Sonny Rollins. Catalano covers the
family background, the high school years and Clifford Brown's moves to
Philadelphia, New York and California, the foundation of the Brown-Roach
quintet and his collaborations with other famous musicians. The man and
his music come alive. This biography is a tribute to an artist who died to
early. It is based on interviews with Clifford Brown's family, friends and
fellow jazz musicians.
