I Remember Clifford (song)

"I Remember Clifford"
Composition by Benny Golson
Written	1956
Genre	Jazz  • ballad

"I Remember Clifford" is an instrumental jazz threnody written by jazz tenor saxophonist Benny Golson in memory of Clifford Brown, ^[1] the influential and highly regarded jazz trumpeter who died in an auto accident at the age of 25. ^[2] Brown and Golson had previously worked together in Lionel Hampton's 1953 band. ^[3]

The song was first recorded by Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce in February 1957. ^[4]

Notable recordings

• Bob Acri - Bob Acri (Blujazz, 2004)
• Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers – 1958 – Paris Olympia (Fontana, 1958)
• Donald Byrd - Jazz Lab (Columbia, 1957) ^[5]
• George Cables – Circle (Contemporary, 1979)
• Ray Charles – My Kind of Jazz (1970)
• Kenny Dorham – This Is the Moment! (Riverside, 1958)
• Don Ellis – Shock Treatment (2002)
• Stan Getz and Kenny Barron – People Time: The Complete Recordings (1991)
• Dizzy Gillespie – Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (Verve, 1957) ^[5]
• Benny Golson – Stockholm Sojourn (Prestige, 1964)
• Roy Hargrove – The Tokyo Sessions (1991)
• Woody Herman – Woody Live East and West (CBS, 1965)
• Milt Jackson – Bags' Opus (United Artists, 1958)
• The Jazztet – Meet the Jazztet (Argo, 1960)
• Quincy Jones – The Birth of a Band (1959) ^[5]
• The Manhattan Transfer – Vocalese (1985)
• Hugh Masekela – Almost Like Being in Jazz (Chissa, 2005)
• Carmen McRae – Carmen for Cool Ones (1958) ^[6]
• Helen Merrill – Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown (1995) ^[7]
• Modern Jazz Quartet – European Concert (Atlantic, 1960)
• Modern Jazz Quartet – Dedicated to Connie (Atlantic, recorded May 1960, released 1995)
• James Moody – Moody with Strings (Argo, 1960)
• Lee Morgan – Lee Morgan Vol. 3 (Blue Note, 1957) ^[5]
• Oscar Peterson – Something Warm (Verve, 1962)
• Bud Powell with Don Byas – A Tribute to Cannonball (Columbia, 1961 [1979])
• Buddy Rich – Blues Caravan (Verve, 1961)
• Sonny Rollins with Thad Jones – Now's the Time (RCA Victor, 1964) ^[5]
• Masayoshi Takanaka " Brasilian Skies" (Kitty Records, 1978)
• Arturo Sandoval - I Remember Clifford (GRP, 1992) ^[8]
• Dinah Washington – The Queen (Mercury, 1959) ^[9]
• Bill Wurtz – Jazz Green Giant (2014) ^[10]

References

1. Piras, Marcello (October 4, 2012). "Golson, Benny". Grove Music Online (published November 26, 2013). doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2228327 . Retrieved March 22, 2025.
2. Alkyer, Frank (September 24, 2024). "In Memoriam: Benny Golson, 1929–2024". DownBeat . Archived from the original on March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
3. Gioia, Ted (2021). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. pp. 195–197. ISBN   978-0-19-008717-3.
4. Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions [CD liner notes], p. 3. Mosaic.
5. Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 179–180. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
6. Carmen McRae – Carmen for Cool Ones at AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
7. Helen Merrill – Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown at AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
8. Arturo Sandoval - I Remember Clifford, 1992, retrieved December 30, 2022
9. "I Remember Clifford by Dinah Washington". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
10. "billwurtz". www.billwurtz.com. Retrieved April 26, 2018.

External links

• Brownie Quotes – Benny Golson Golson's description of hearing of Brown's death
• Article at jazzstandards.com