Los Angeles CA September 4th,2015-
Clifford Brown was a true bolt of lightning in the jazz world. One of the most promising young trumpeters on the scene in the early 1950's, he worked with such greats as
Tadd
Dameron, Lionel Hampton and Art Blakey before forming a highly touted quintet with the great drummer Max Roach.Then,only four years after he burst upon the scene,it all ended: Brown was still on the ascendant when, in the summer of 1956, at age 25,he died tragically in a car accident.
Despite his brief time on the planet and the passage of decades"Brownie"as he was called, is still considered a seminal influence by many contemporary musicians, among them the percussionist,composer and producer Rayford Griffin who just happens to be the nephew of the fallen legend.
Reflections of Brownie-A Tribute to Clifford Brown,
Griffin's new album as a leader is in a sense, the album this phenomenal musician has been gearing up to record since he was a child, listening to and studying Brownie's work. Says Griffin, "A few years back,I started recording some gigs around L.A. playing his music in a style faithful to the way he originally composed and performed them.When I listened back to the tapes,the performances didn't capture the spirit I wanted to
convey.I thought,really...how much better can I do this compared to the original statements he and the greats laid down"? In my desire to take the music someplace else, I shifted my thinking."Had Uncle Clifford lived, how might he revisit his music? That thought process led me to the concept of modern versions of his tunes a blending of the old and the new that retains all of the integrity of the compositions and the spirit therein."
For Reflections of Brownie,Griffin is joined by some of the most renowned artists of
today,
all of whom owe a debt to the great Clifford Brown and contribute their own sensibilities to this exciting project: Roy Hargrove,the late George Duke,Brian Bromberg, Rick Braun,Michael "Patches" Stewart, Nicolas Payton, Phillipe Saisse, Everette Harp, Doug
Webb,
Dan Lutz,Ian Martin, Barone Brown, Hanz Zermuehlen, Keith Jones, Michael Hunter, Bobby English,Clifford Brown
Jr.
and Clifford Brown III.
Says Griffin, "I believe music is emotion expressed and that we should be deeply affected, and liberated by it. I hope folks gain as much enjoyment in listening to Reflections of Brownie as we all did in creating it."
The Jazzweek radio add date is October 5th,2015!
Track Listing:
