Search - Clifford Brown, Max Roach Quintet :: More Study in Brown

Study In Greatness...Again

Brian Schiff | Detroit Mi. USA | 01/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet take off where they left off

with 'Study in Brown' with another all-time classic,'More Study In Brown'.This one kicks off with a Latin-flavored,'I'll Remember April' and Harold Land(left group because of family/travel issues) and Sonny Rollins share duties on tenor sax.The exchange between Harold Land and Clifford Brown in 'The Blues Walk' to end the album leaves you hoping for an encore.Unfortunately,Brown and pianist Richie Powell,died tragically in an automobile crash in June,1956,which moved Quincy Jones wo write in 'Downbeat Magazine'(August 22,1956):"..Clifford's self-assuredness in his playing reflected the mind and soul of a blossoming young artist who would have rightfully taken his place next to Charlie Parker,Dizzy Gillespie,Miles Davis and other leaders in Jazz.The record companies owe it to the future of Jazz to make available every possible fragment of the beautiful musical gifts Clifford gave the world with unbounded love...""

Potentially misleading title but hard to go wrong.

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 05/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was hoping for new material from the original "Study in Brown" session--in fact, was looking forward to hearing Harold Land playing "I'll Remember April" and comparing it with the same tune as played by Rollins with Clifford on the "At Basin Street" album. But this CD is a collection of out-takes and previously non-digitized takes from several Brown-Roach recording sessions. The first four tunes feature the group with Rollins; the last four with Land.



Two of the tracks are worth the admission price. "April" is the third take of the tune leading off the "Basin Street" session and is arguably better than the master take. Whereas the original is pretty much no-nonsense straight-ahead bebop with Roach driving the troops with a heavy ride cymbal, this one is more sportive, with Rollins playing with motifs and leaving a bit of breathing space, perhaps the reason Richie Powell sounds more relaxed and Roach decides to attend to his snares and toms as much as his cymbals. The other track is a previously unreleased take of "Blues Walk" from the date "Clifford Brown and Max Roach." If the master is better than this out-take, I'm not sure I'd want to hear it. This one raises the bar high enough, with a Land solo that should be enough to scare any saxophonist with ears.



The contrast between Rollins and Land, the two tenors represented about equally on this collection, is quite instructive. Sonny undoubtedly brought to the group more fire power for the concert and club dates, and more spontaneity and playfulness in the recording studio. But the ensemble is tighter with Land, who also delivers those letter-perfect, cleanly-articulated, supremely-logical solos each time out. Yet even with Land the group too frequently falls into a predictable head-solo-head pattern. When Land went to the West Coast and linked up with Curtis Counce and Carl Perkins, he would briefly be part of an ensemble that had few if any equals. It all simply came together--the writing and attention to detail, the ensemble sound, and the solos--representing a musical apex for jazz quintets in the mainstream, post-bop tradition.



As usual, everybody's favorite trumpet player is in peak form throughout, guaranteed not to disappoint."