I Remember Clifford (song)
Encyclopedia
I Remember Clifford is the name of a jazz
threnody
written by jazz tenor saxophone
player Benny Golson
in memory of Clifford Brown
, the influential and highly-rated jazz trumpeter who died in an auto accident when he was only 25 years old. He and Golson had done a stint in Lionel Hampton
's band together.
The song became an instant standard, as musicians paid tribute to Brown by recording their personal reading of it. Golson later said, "[it] took me several weeks, but I'd never written a composition like it before. I wanted to create a melody that the public would remember, and associate it with [him]."
I Remember Clifford is also the name of an album
by Arturo Sandoval
. The entire album is a tribute to Brown, who was a great influence on Sandoval, and features Golson's tune.
added the lyrics, and recorded by jazz vocalists including:
Washington, Vaughan and Merrill are only three vocalists recorded with Brown.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
threnody
Threnody
A threnody is a song, hymn or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person. The term originates from the Greek word threnoidia, from threnos + oide ; ultimately, from the Proto-Indo-European root wed- that is also the precursor of such words as "ode", "tragedy", "comedy",...
written by jazz tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
player Benny Golson
Benny Golson
Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
in memory of Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...
, the influential and highly-rated jazz trumpeter who died in an auto accident when he was only 25 years old. He and Golson had done a stint in Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
's band together.
The song became an instant standard, as musicians paid tribute to Brown by recording their personal reading of it. Golson later said, "[it] took me several weeks, but I'd never written a composition like it before. I wanted to create a melody that the public would remember, and associate it with [him]."
I Remember Clifford is also the name of an album
I Remember Clifford (album)
I Remember Clifford is a 1992 album by Arturo Sandoval, the second album he made after fleeing from his native Cuba.The entire album is a tribute to Clifford Brown, who was a great influence on Sandoval; Brown was an influential, highly-rated and much-loved jazz trumpeter who died in an auto...
by Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
. The entire album is a tribute to Brown, who was a great influence on Sandoval, and features Golson's tune.
Notable recordings of I Remember Clifford
- Don EllisDon EllisDon Ellis was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of unusual time signatures...
- Shock Treatment (2002) - Art Farmer & Benny Golson, Meet The Jazztet
- Dizzy Gillespie, The Big Band Sound of Dizzy Gillespie (Verve, 1957)
- Arturo Sandoval, I Remember Clifford (GRP Records, 1992)
Vocal version
Jon HendricksJon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...
added the lyrics, and recorded by jazz vocalists including:
- Dinah WashingtonDinah WashingtonDinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
- recorded October 4, 1957, but probably not released until 1959 compilation album The Queen!. - Carmen McRaeCarmen McRaeCarmen Mercedes McRae was an American jazz singer, composer, pianist, and actress. Considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics that made her memorable...
- 1958 album Carmen for Cool Ones - Nancy WilsonNancy Wilson (singer)Nancy Wilson is an American singer with more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards. She has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer." The title she prefers, however, is song stylist...
with George ShearingGeorge ShearingSir George Shearing, OBE was an Anglo-American jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for MGM Records and Capitol Records. The composer of over 300 titles, he had multiple albums on the Billboard charts during the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s...
- 1961 album The Swingin's Mutual!The Swingin's Mutual!The Swingin's Mutual! is an album by the George Shearing quintet, accompanied by the vocalist Nancy Wilson.-Track listing:# "The Things We Did Last Summer" – 2:41# "All Night Long" – 3:06... - Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
- 1970 album My Kind of Jazz - Sarah VaughanSarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
- Live in Prague 1978 (DVD). Probably she made no studio recordings nor official live recordings of this song. - The Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan TransferThe Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of both...
- 1985 album Vocalese - Helen MerrillHelen MerrillHelen Merrill is an internationally known jazz vocalist.Merrill's recording career has spanned six decades and she is popular with fans of jazz in Japan and Italy as well as in her native United States...
- 1995 album Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown
Washington, Vaughan and Merrill are only three vocalists recorded with Brown.
External links
- Brownie Quotes - Benny Golson Golson's description of hearing of Brown's death
- Article at jazzstandards.com