Jazz
This is Max Roach and Clifford Brown at their debut in California in April 1954 with Teddy Edwards on tenor sax, Carl Perkins at the piano, and George Bledsoe at the bass. That's interesting for those who are fond of this quintet. The other set shows the group four months later with THE quintet (Harold Land on tenor sax, George Morrow on bass and Richie Powell at the drums). Talented Jordi Pujol seems to be keen on finding new stuff from radio broadcasting, but though the sound is excellent and the work on cover design is of neat quality (photographs are superb - that makes Fresh Sound one of the most interesting labels - ), the fact that the radio broadcaster intervenes between the cuts, well, it makes this record compulsory, only for completists. Anyway, there is a cut which is tremendous. This is "I get a kick out of you". Clifford Brown is at full strength, blowing all he's got. We really had a marvellous group here. 26 months later, Clifford and Richie Powell had a car accident. They both died.
By R. Comme Ralingue.
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Two landmark California concerts by the legendary duo of drummer Max Roach and trumpeter Clifford Brown, using different personnel, were recorded in 1954: in Pasadena with tenorist Teddy Edwards, pianist Carl Perkins and bassist George Bledsoe; and in Los Angeles with tenorist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell and bassist George Morrow.
Enhanced by previously unreleased, unedited material, this album reveals the virtuosic give-and-take between Roach and Brown at the beginning of a relationship doomed to last only two years because of the automobile accident that took Brown’s life at 25. There are many examples of their artistic bond here, none more impressive than “Clifford’s Axe,” which Brown based on the changes to “The Man I Love,” and Duke Jordan’s “Jordu.” They reveal amazing, swinging interplay between trumpet and drums, with Roach urging Brown on and filling the trumpeter’s gaps with trademark flourishes on ride cymbal and propulsive kicks on bass drum. His solo on the latter is a remarkable course in Drumming 101, and their trading of fours on “Axe” is an advanced course in chemistry. But ballads separate the men from the boys and Brown shows his tonal warmth and mature phrasing (at 23) with “I Can’t Get Started” and “Tenderly.”
By Harvey Siders.
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Jazz historian Robert Gordon in his book Jazz West Coast writes that there was considerable editing on the two 1954 California Concerts when they were released on record on the GNP label. This editing refers mainly to the tenor saxophone and piano solos. On comparing the original releases, we have also found an additional 35 seconds of Clifford Brown's trumpet solo on "Tenderly", which has been included here. We are also pleased to present the spoken introductions by Gene Norman and Max Roach from the first date.
Regrettably, the solos of both Teddy Edwards and Carl Perkins on "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" were originally edited to one chorus each. This is the only available example of this recording. The full version has not been located and, half a century later, may be considered lost. All of the previous releases of these recordings have the same editing on three tracks from the second concert: On "Jordu", the tenor saxophone and piano were fully edited; on "I Can't Get Started" the piano intro was shorter; and the Richie Powell solo on "I Get a Kick Out of You" was deleted. These historic concerts are now issued in their most complete versions for the first time on the present CD.
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01. Intro by Gene Norman & Max Roach 1:01
02. All God's Chillun Got Rhythm (Jermann-Kahn-Kasper) 6:18
03. Tenderly (Gross-Lawrence) 5:25
04. Sunset Eyes (Teddy Edwards) 6:40
05. Clifford's Axe (Clifford Brown) 7:15
(Max Roach (d), Clifford Brown (tp), Teddy Edwards (ts), Carl Perkins (p), George Bledsoe (b).
Recorded at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, April 1954)
06. Jordu (Duke Jordan) 10:09
07. I Can't Get Started With You (V.Duke-I.Gershwin) 4:04
08. I Get A Kick Out Of You (Cole Porter) 8:37
09. Parisian Thoroughfare (Bud Powell) 7:45
Max Roach (d), Clifford Brown (tp), Harold Land (ts), Richie Powell (p), George Morrow (b).
(Recorded at the Shrine Auditorium, Hollywood, August 30, 1954)
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