Existing comment:
Clifford Brown, 1930-1956
Trumpeter Clifford Brown played with seemingly effortless virtuosity. He began formal music studies at the age of twelve and acquired his first trumpet a year later. Progressing rapidly under the guidance of skilled instructors at the high school and college level, Brown developed superb musicianship and excelled in deftly exploiting the full tonal range of his instrument. Urged by Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, and Charlie Parker to pursue a career in jazz, Brown was stymied when injuries from an auto accident in 1950 left him hospitalized and unable to play for nearly a year. Following his recovery, he performed with a series of major bands -- including those led by Tadd Dameron and Lionel Hampton––and cut his first jazz recordings. In 1954 Brown and drummer Max Roach formed one of the era's stellar combos, the Brown-Roach Quintet, which showcased the improvisational talents of its namesakes. Two years later, another car crash claimed Brown's life at twenty-five. |