Make A Pledge Today! “Reflections Of Brownie” a new tribute to Clifford Brown
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In my parent’s home for as long as I can remember there was always, somewhere in our living room, a picture of my uncle holding his trumpet. My uncle was the legendary trumpeter Clifford Brown.
Clifford made his mark on the jazz scene by playing in bands led by Lionel Hampton, Tadd Dameron, and drummer/bandleader Art Blakey. He soon became co-leader of a stellar quintet with drummer Max Roach, who affectionately nicknamed him “Brownie”. My uncle Clifford was spoken of in the same breath as trumpet peers Dizzy Gilespie and Miles Davis when at the age of only 25 his life was taken as the passenger in a fatal automobile accident. Nonetheless, he influenced the styles of countless jazz trumpet players who emerged after him, including Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubard and Wynton Marsalis. Clifford’s music is a rite of passage for anyone studying the trumpet.
Seeing his picture in our home and having heard his music from the time I was two years old are just a few of the reasons I’m a musician today. As his nephew, his music and legacy are part of my heritage. When I became a musician, I was frequently drawn to his music and wanted to perform it, but it was like sacred music to me, not to mention a bit daunting. So I knew that my approach to his music had to be purely honest and contain the same passion and integrity as his did. Those thoughts helped me realize I had to make a fresh and personal statement if I was to present his songs in a new way. I thought, “Had Uncle Cliff lived how might he revisit his music today?” I’ve given that question a great deal of thought for quite a long time, and as fresh song arrangements began coming to me I soon concluded that I must make these recordings and share them with all. So………
My goal is
to finish the recordings I’ve started of a new CD containing my arrangements for songs that were written and originally performed by my uncle, Clifford Brown.
He passed before the inclusion in jazz of, wailing electric guitar, the synthesizer, electric bass, and electric piano. All of which are jazz mainstays today.
The concept is
to have several different guest trumpet players and musicians to perform on these contemporary arrangements of his music, celebrating his inspiring influence with their own individual styles and interpretation.
I have already begun recording modern versions of his songs. The Clifford Brown penned songs, “Joy Spring”, “Dahoud”, and “Jordu”, are already in the can, (that’s studio lingo meaning they have been finished), and feature trumpeters Rick Braun, Micheal ‘Patches” Stewart and William Ardaby; as well as a host of other stellar musicians including pianist George Duke,Philippe Saisse and Hans Zuremullen, upright & electric bassist Brian Bromberg, Barron Browne and Dan Lutz and saxophonist Everette Harp,just to name a few. There are also other celebrated trumpet men like Roy Hargrove, Randy Brecker and others who are also lined up for these recording sessions, and that my friends is where I would like your assistance.
