Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
'\"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
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Synopsis
More than just a colorful account of the legendary trumpet player, this book also features an informed analysis of Brown's major recorded solos, highlighting his originality and revealing why he remains a great influence on trumpet players today. 16 halftones.
Synopsis
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, a trumpet player who ranks with Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis, and a leading influence on contemporary jazz musicians. Now, in Clifford Brown: The Life and Art of the Legendary Jazz Trumpeter, Nick Catalano gives us the first major biography of this musical giant.
Based on extensive interviews with Clifford Brown's family, friends, and fellow jazz musicians, here is a fascinating portrait of a remarkable musician. Catalano depicts Brown's early life, showing how he developed a facility and dazzling technique that few jazz players have ever equaled. We read of his meteoric rise in Philadelphia, where he played with many of the leading jazz players of the 1950s, including Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker; his tour of Europe with Lionel Hampton, which made him famous; and his formation of the Brown-Roach Quintet with prominent drummer Max Roach--one of the most popular hard bop combos of the day. Catalano also shows that Brown was a remarkable individual--he grew up in a middle-class African-American home in Wilmington, Delaware, attended college, was a skilled mathematician, and had wide cultural interests. Moreover, in an era when most jazz players were either alcoholics or addicts, Brown was clean-living and drug free. Indeed, he became a role model for musicians who were struggling with drugs and had great influence in this area with one prominent colleague, tenor sax player Sonny Rollins.
Clifford Brown not only provides a colorful account of Brown's life, but also features an informed analysis of his major recorded solos, highlighting Brown's originality and revealing why he remains a great influence on trumpet players today. It is a book that anyone with a serious interest in jazz will want to own.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-196) and index. Includes discography: p. 197-199.
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
The Brown family of Wilmington -- Boysie Lowery and Howard High -- On to Philadelphia -- The brink of disaster -- Rhythm 'n' blues -- The month of June -- European high jinks -- New York and home -- California surprise -- Brown and roach, Inc. -- Back to the East -- Into.