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

by Nick Catalano

Overview

Although he died in a tragic car accident at twenty-five, Clifford Brown is widely considered one of the most important figures in the history of jazz—now, in this absorbing work, Nick Catalano gives us the first major biography of this musical giant.
Based on extensive interviews with Brown's family, friends, and fellow jazz musicians, this is a fascinating portrait of a remarkable musician. Catalano colorfully depicts Brown's life, showing how he developed a dazzling technique that few jazz players have equaled. We read of his meteoric rise in Philadelphia, his tour of Europe with Lionel Hampton, and his formation of the Brown-Roach Quintet with prominent drummer Max Roach. The book also features an informed analysis of Brown's major recorded solos, highlighting his originality and revealing why he remains such a great influence today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195144000
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/24/2001
Series:	Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	9.32(w) x 6.23(h) x 0.51(d)
Lexile:	1160L (what's this?)

About the Author

A University Performing Arts director and Professor of Music and Literature at Pace University, Dr. Nick Catalano has played, produced, taught and written about jazz throughout his life. He has also had an extensive television career as a writer-producer of films and documentaries. Dr. Catalano lives and writes in New York and East Hampton.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction	xi
1	The Brown Family of Wilmington	3
2	Boysie Lowery and Howard High	16
3	On to Philadelphia	28
4	The Brink of Disaster	40
5	Rhythm 'n' Blues	53
6	The Month of June	65
7	European High Jinks	76
8	New York and Home	98
9	California Surprise	108
10	Brown and Roach, Inc.	122
11	Back to the East	136
12	Into 1956	159
	Epilogue	186
	Notes	189
	Selected and Annotated Discography	197
	Index	200

Editorial Reviews

"This study of a vitally important artist is a book for all jazz collections."—Choice

"The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter is the first full biography of the man known as 'Brownie' and should be required reading for any serious jazz fan. Catalano's account will definitely have you, to paraphrase Benny Golson's famous composition, 'remembering Clifford'."—Alabama Times

"A generation before Wynton Marsalis, Clifford Brown exhibited a similar mastery of modern jazz phrasing, tone control, and trumpet technique. Alas, Brown was never destined to achieve the fame and rewards such rare talents deserved. His moving story with its wry mixture of triumph and tragedy is now told with rich detail in Nick Catalano's highly readable Clifford Brown: The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter."—Ted Gioia, author of The History of Jazz and West Coast Jazz

"The author's enthusiastic and well-researched summary of Brown's career should send jazz buffs back to their record collections for serious listening."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Long known as the jazz trumpeters' trumpeter, Clifford Brown has yet to gain wider recognition for his influence over the development of bebop. Born in Wilmington, Del., in 1930, Brown's trumpet playing was often described as uninspired, but intense practice led to a technically superb style that was lauded by such greats as Dizzy Gillespie. The modest, unpretentious trumpeter lived an unruffled life; his great discipline offered a different model for jazz musicians long under the influence of Charlie Parker's drug abuse. Catalano, the director of performing arts at Pace University, presents Brown's abbreviated life (he died in a car crash at age 25) in a terse, matter-of-fact manner, with scrupulous attention to detail. A vivid account of his 1953 adventures with Lionel Hampton's band (which included Art Farmer and Quincy Jones) in Europe is one of the few sections that delves deeply into Brown's musical genius, describing solos and specific performances, and praising his high energy and fun approach to trading fours with Farmer. In another chapter, Catalano recalls Brown's friendship with Max Roach, paying homage to such landmark recordings as "Delilah" and "Darn That Dream." While some jazz fans may tire of the meticulous recounting of facts, true buffs will be enthralled with the honest interviews and wide breadth of research this bio offers. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The history of music in general, and jazz in particular, is filled with stories of legendary performers with blazing talent who succumb early to their own excesses. Brown's brief life and brilliant career prove to be the exception to that rule. He was a formally trained musician from a stable family in Wilmington, DE, when, in 1949, Dizzy Gillespie discovered his skill on the trumpet. Soon he was a major part of the next generation of bebop musicians, one that would take the genre to unimagined artistic heights. Brown's healthy lifestyle and studious attitude toward his craft proved to be as influential for a generation of jazz artists as his innovative work with drummer Max Roach. Unfortunately, a tragic auto accident in 1956 cost Brown his life and the world of jazz one of its most positive role models. Catalano's (director of cultural affairs and performing arts, Pace Univ.) well-researched look at the life and music of Brown will be a welcome addition to all serious music collections.--Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, PA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

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