Clifford Brown
Oct. 10, 1930-June 26, 1956
Unless you really follow the history of jazz, you’ve probably never heard of Clifford Brown. That’s your loss. Clifford Brown was a genius, one of the greatest trumpet players of all time. He burst on the jazz scene in the early 1950’s, at a time when the trumpet was dominated by the likes of Fats Navarro, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.
Then along came Clifford. Jazz music was ravaged by hard drug use, but Clifford Brown stood out for his clean lifestyle. No drink or drugs for Clifford Brown. The possibilities for his career were endless. He would not put himself in an early grave like so many jazz greats of the era, including Navarro, who died at 26, or the great Charlie Parker . When the coronor looked at Parker’s body, he estimated his age was between 50-60 years old. He was 34. Clifford Brown was not going to let that happen to him.
Proving that life is not fair, Clifford Brown was killed in a car accident at the tender age of 25. What a tragedy, what a loss for jazz fans.
This is the only live footage of Clifford Brown available on You Tube.
Here is a tribute called I Remember Clifford played by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers featuring Lee Morgan on trumpet,
Clifford Brown remains the most underappreciated musician in jazz history. If you have an interest in jazz, and especially the trumpet, here are a few CD’s to get you started, Study In Brown, Clifford Brown & Max Roach, and At Basin Street.