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Clifford Brown & Eric Dolphy


ep1str0phy

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Maybe I'm behind the times, but has anyone heard this? It's pre-Chico, so I'm assuming that Dolphy's a little more conservative... but geez, what a mix! Explanations?

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Dusty Groove is also listing this:

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What a horrible name. Granted that it only costs $16.99, this can't be the whole tour. I have some of these tracks--with horrible sound quality (the music is phenomenal, though). Anyone care to chime in on this?

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From the Dusty site:

Clifford Brown & Eric Dolphy -- Together -- Recorded Live At Dolphy's Home, Los Angeles 1954 . . . CD . . . $11.99  (Item: 397911)

RLR (Spain), 1954 Condition: New Copy Add    View Cart   

An amazing early document of two musical geniuses -- trumpeter Clifford Brown, then playing to great fame with the Max Roach group, and young saxophone genius Eric Dolphy, yet to make his mark on music with the Chico Hamilton combo! The tapes were recorded live at Dolphy's house in 1954 -- and although the quality is a bit rough at times, the playing is extremely compelling -- especially when comparing the sweetness of Brownie's trumpet to the harder edges of Dolphy's alto sax. The first 2 numbers feature Dolphy playing with the Brown/Roach group with Richie Powell on piano and Harold Land on tenor sax -- followed by 3 more tunes with Land, Brown, and Dolphy, plus additional unnamed players. The set's completed by a spare number that has Clifford Brown soloing next to an unnamed pianist -- and the total CD features 72 minutes of music, with titles that include "Deception", "Fine & Dandy", "Unknown Original Tune", "Crazeology", and "Old Folks".

Sounds interesting. I've never heard of the existence of these tapes. Anyone know the deal with this RLR label?

What about this one, same label?

Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet -- Last Quintet Concert/Plus Newport . . . CD . . . $11.99  (Item: 398058)

RLR (Spain), 1956/1955 (2CD) Condition: New Copy Add    View Cart   

The last full performance ever from the legendary Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet -- recorded live at the Continental Restaurant in Richmond, VA -- just one week before Brownie's untimely early death! The recording quality of the performance is a bit less than some of the pair's more famous work -- but there's also a looseness here that more than redeems the tape quality of the set -- especially on the extended numbers that really let us hear the group open up and jam! The quintet's heard in 3 very long numbers -- "I Get A Kick Out Of You" (25 minutes), "Just One Of Those Things" (21 minutes), and "Good Bait" (16 minutes) -- all titles that really get at the spirit of the combo working together in a live setting. And these are followed up by shorter tunes that include "One For My Baby", "What's New", "These Foolish Things", and "Someone To Watch Over Me" -- played by a lineup that includes Sonny Rollins, Richie Powell, and George Morrow. The CD also features bonus tracks from the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival -- 4 that feature the group with Harold Land on tenor sax, plus one more that's a jam session with Clifford Brown in a group that includes Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Paul Desmond, and Dave Brubeck. Titles include "A Ghost Of A Chance", "Daahoud", "Tea For Two", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Jaqui".

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I heard them. The Clifford Browns (not the Ornette).

The Eric Dolphy session is a rehearsal tape for the Brown-Roach Quintet with Harold Land and Richie Powell. And it is just that.

Sound is not very good, but acceptable.

Dolphy shows up on two tracks on the Philology material I heard (very briefly on a short duo track with Clifford Brown on piano and longer on the final track).

This looks and sounds like one of the Eight Wonders of the World but it is not.

Does not compare with the Booker Little/Eric Dolphy night at the Five Spot or the Brown-Roach concert released on Gene Norman.

Those musicians are just jamming and trying several tunes.

For Brownie completists. I am one :D

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Phililogy released that practice years ago (before CD time). He plays 'Cheerokee' on trumpet, also on piano.

Even as a Brownie completist, I would not recommend it. Forget about it and save your money :P

The rest of the documents unearthed by Philology is much more interesting.

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How is that live disc?

Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet -- Last Quintet Concert/Plus Newport

Hi Art! Lo Fi!

That one is plain excellent. The great quintet caught live in an on night.

And a rare opportunity to hear Richie Powell at length!

The audio is a mess but this is one rare opportunity to listen to music from this creative band at its best!

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So brownie, what would you say, is it Dolphy at all? I am well aware that pre... what, 1960? Dolphy doesn't really sound like Dolphy a lot, so it may be a difficult call...

Any more info on that last quintet date? Newport we all have, I assume, but I'm not sure about that one...

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So brownie, what would you say, is it Dolphy at all? I am well aware that pre... what, 1960? Dolphy doesn't really sound like Dolphy a lot, so it may be a difficult call...

I have no doubt about it. That's Dolphy! At his formative stage but the style is qui recognizable...

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Sound is not very good, but acceptable.

I'd rather put it differently: the sound pretty much sucks, but you can make out the instruments... -_-

OK I was trying to be polite about it. The sound indeed sucks but I get all excited when I listen to treasures like that.

...also you have digital-atuned ears :g I was raised on clicks and pops and getting kicks out of those Charlie Christian recordings from the Minton's or Monroe's :lol:

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These recordings have circulated among collectors for years. A couple of older friends lent their cassettes to me and I digitized a lot of these things. I shared them on one of the trading sites, and then later on www.dimeadozen.org.

This is what I have on the Norfolk date:

THE CLIFFORD BROWN – MAX ROACH QUINTET

NORFOLK, VA – JUNE 1956

Clifford Brown – trumpet

Sonny Rollins – tenor sax

Richie Powell – piano

George Morrow – bass

Max Roach – drums

1. Introduction

2. Just One of Those Things

3. You Go To My Head

4. One For My Baby

5. Someone to Watch Over Me

6. What’s New

7. These Foolish Things

8. I Get a Kick Out of You

The presence of Dolphy in the early material has also been questioned. My ears aren't good enough to tell, and IMO the material is not worth repeated listening. Dusty Groove seems to have engaged in their usual puffery in their description.

I don't know what is on the commercial issue. This is what I have in my collection:

DISK 2

1. Unknown title 15:18

2. Fine And Dandy 22:20

3. Wahoo 9:37

4. Crazeology 12:28

5. Old Folks 2:27

6. Deception (Conception?) 13:42

Clifford Brown (tp - 1, 2, 3, 6; p -5), Eric Dolphy (as - 5. 6),

Harold Land (ts), Richie Powell (p),

George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d); Eric Dolphy's garage/studio, Los

Angeles, c. June 1954

DISK 3

1. Unknown title (same as disk 3, track 1) 11:41

2. Deception (Conception?) 3:12

Same personnel/performances as Disk 2

This discographical information was compiled by someone else who used the recently published Clifford Brown discography by Bob Weir, which I have not seen.

The sound on the Norfolk date is (just) acceptable. It was a good night for the quintet. The sound on the Newport date is better:

CLIFFORD BROWN-MAX ROACH QUINTET

NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL, 16 JULY 1955

Clifford Brown – trumpet

Harold Land – tenor saxophone

Richie Powell – piano

George Morrow – bass

Max Roach – drums

1. Announcement

2. Daahoud

3. Ghost of a Chance

4. Jacqui

5. I Get a Kick Out of You

I do not know how these setlists compare to the commercial issues.

I know that most, if not all, of this material was at one time available on Philology. I find that now that I'm done organizing it I rarely listen to it. If I want to hear Brownie, I usually reach for my Emarcy box.

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