I Remember Clifford (album)
Encyclopedia
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 accident in 1956, when he was only 25 years old.
who was killed on June 26, 1956 in a car accident which also killed pianist Richie Powell
, the younger brother of Bud Powell
.
Sandoval's written tribute to Brown in the liner notes for the album ends:
It is named after a threnody
written by Benny Golson
, I Remember Clifford
, also written in memory of Brown.
In addition to an especially poignant rendition of the Golson piece (using only a trumpet and piano - a pointed tribute to the two musicians who died together), the album contains a long list of Clifford's best-known standards (some composed by Brown himself). One final inclusion is a new composition, I Left This Space For You, written by Sandoval in tribute, in which Sandoval plays only a restrained melody, leaving "this space for him" (in Sandoval's words).
One very unusual feature, heard on five of the tracks, is the use of overdubbing
to create a trumpet 'choir' of four harmonized trumpets, all played by Sandoval (a concept credited to Orlando 'Papito' Hernández, who had experience with multiple trumpets from his time playing with Herb Alpert
). The 'choir' is used to play arrangements of some of Brown's own brilliant original solos; the different trumpet lines are so closely synchronized it is hard to believe they were not reproduced electronically. Sandoval's own phenomenal playing features in his own solos, especially on "Cherokee", which he takes at a pace a hair faster than Brown's own impossibly-fast original.
The album received two nominations in the 1992 Grammy Awards
('Best Jazz Instrumental Performance - Individual or Group', and 'Best Arrangement on an Instrumental', for Cherokee). It was picked by critic Leonard Feather
as one of the ten best jazz albums of 1992.
1992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
album 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 second album he made after fleeing from his native Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
The entire album is a tribute to 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...
, who was a great influence on Sandoval; Brown was an influential, highly-rated and much-loved jazz
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...
trumpeter who died in an auto accident in 1956, when he was only 25 years old.
Title of album
The album is named for Clifford BrownClifford 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...
who was killed on June 26, 1956 in a car accident which also killed pianist Richie Powell
Richie Powell
Richie Powell was an American bebop jazz pianist.Powell was born into a musical family in New York City, and was the younger brother of Bud Powell...
, the younger brother of Bud Powell
Bud Powell
Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
.
Sandoval's written tribute to Brown in the liner notes for the album ends:
- Everybody that I've spoken to, who knew Brownie, coincided in describing his heart and his simplicity as an artist. Modesty, feelings, dignity and virtuosity; not a bad legacy. ... It is with all my heart and soul that I offer this sincere effort to one of the greatest trumpet players of all time; a man who left his mark as a person and as an artist.
It is named after a 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 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...
, I Remember Clifford
I Remember Clifford (song)
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...
, also written in memory of Brown.
In addition to an especially poignant rendition of the Golson piece (using only a trumpet and piano - a pointed tribute to the two musicians who died together), the album contains a long list of Clifford's best-known standards (some composed by Brown himself). One final inclusion is a new composition, I Left This Space For You, written by Sandoval in tribute, in which Sandoval plays only a restrained melody, leaving "this space for him" (in Sandoval's words).
One very unusual feature, heard on five of the tracks, is the use of overdubbing
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
to create a trumpet 'choir' of four harmonized trumpets, all played by Sandoval (a concept credited to Orlando 'Papito' Hernández, who had experience with multiple trumpets from his time playing with Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
). The 'choir' is used to play arrangements of some of Brown's own brilliant original solos; the different trumpet lines are so closely synchronized it is hard to believe they were not reproduced electronically. Sandoval's own phenomenal playing features in his own solos, especially on "Cherokee", which he takes at a pace a hair faster than Brown's own impossibly-fast original.
The album received two nominations in the 1992 Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards of 1992
The 34th Grammy Awards were held on February 26, 1992. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year . Natalie Cole was the big winner winning three awards including Album of the Year.-Award winners:*Record of the Year...
('Best Jazz Instrumental Performance - Individual or Group', and 'Best Arrangement on an Instrumental', for Cherokee). It was picked by critic Leonard Feather
Leonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.-Biography:...
as one of the ten best jazz albums of 1992.
Track listing
- Daahoud (Brown, 4:57)
- Joy Spring (Brown, 5:42)
- Parisian Thoroughfare (Bud PowellBud PowellEarl Rudolph "Bud" Powell was an American Jazz pianist. Powell has been described as one of "the two most significant pianists of the style of modern jazz that came to be known as bop", the other being his friend and contemporary Thelonious Monk...
, 5:57) - Cherokee (Ray NobleRay Noble (musician)Ray Noble was an English bandleader, composer, arranger and actor. Noble studied music at the Royal Academy of Music and became leader of the HMV Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day...
, 5:07) - I Remember Clifford (Benny GolsonBenny GolsonBenny 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...
, 4:11) - The Blues Walk (Brown, 6:45)
- Sandu (Brown, 5:17)
- I Get A Kick Out Of You (Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, 5:11) - Jordu (Duke JordanDuke JordanIrving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
, 8:25) - Caravan (EllingtonDuke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, MillsIrving MillsIrving Mills was a jazz music publisher, also known by the name of "Joe Primrose."Mills was born to Jewish parents in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. He founded Mills Music with his brother Jack in 1919...
, TizolJuan TizolJuan Tizol was a Puerto Rican trombonist and composer.He was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Music was a large part of his life from an early age. His first instrument was the violin, but he soon switched to valve trombone, the instrument he would play throughout his career...
, 4:26) - I Left This Space For You (Sandoval, 5:53)
Performance credits
- Arturo Sandoval, Trumpet
- Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
, PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Charnett MoffettCharnett MoffettCharnett Moffett is an American jazz musician who plays piccolo bass, double bass and bass guitar.Moffett's given name was created as a combination of that of his father and that of Ornette Coleman...
, BassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Kenny WashingtonKenny Washington (musician)Kenny Washington is a jazz drummer born in Staten Island, New York.He studied at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Ernie WattsErnie WattsErnest James "Ernie" Watts is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist...
, Tenor SaxophoneTenor saxophoneThe 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...
(tracks 1, 4, 7, 9, 10) - David SánchezDavid Sánchez (musician)David Sanchez is a well known, 2005 Grammy winning jazz tenor saxophonist from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico born in September 1968.-Early life:Sanchez took up the conga when he was eight and started playing tenor saxophone at age 12. The earliest influences were Afro-Caribbean and danza but also European...
, Tenor saxophone (tracks 3, 6, 8) - Ed CalleEd CalleEd Calle is a musician from Miami, Florida. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela.Calle plays the saxophone, flute, clarinet, EWI, keyboards, and vocals. He also composes and arranges music. Dr. Eduardo J...
, Tenor Saxophone (track 2) - Félix Gómez, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(track 5) - Gary Lindsay, ArrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s (except on track 9) - Alberto NaranjoAlberto NaranjoAlberto Naranjo [nah-rahn'-ho] is a musician. He was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His mother, the singer Graciela Naranjo, was a radio, film and television pioneer in her homeland...
, Arrangement on Jordu
Technical credits
- Peter Beckerman, Assistant Engineer
- Michael Bloom, Liner Notes Coordination
- Joseph Doughney, Post-production
- Ted Jensen, Mastering
- Michael Landy, Post-production
- Bo Post, Album Coordinator
- Andy Roshberg, Assistant Engineer
- Neil Tesser, Liner Notes
- Adam Zelinka, Post-production
Producers
- Cal Griffin
- Dave GrusinDave GrusinDavid Grusin is an American composer, arranger and pianist. Grusin has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, including an Academy award and 12 Grammys...
(Executive) - Papito Hernández
- Larry RosenGRP RecordsGRP Records is an American jazz record company, owned by Universal Music Group and operates through its Verve Music Group. The company's name has had different meanings. In its early days, it stood for "Grusin/Rosen Productions," after the founders...
(Executive) - Rudy Pérez
External links
- Arturo Sandoval home page
- [ AMG review]