Clifford Brown of Wilmington

[brownie]

Could not miss that article!

From the Salisbury Daily Times/News Journal today.

CLIFFORD BROWN'S TALENTS PUT WILMINGTON ON THE JAZZ LOVER'S MAP

By Robin Brown

The News Journal

In the music world, Delaware is a hot spot.

That's thanks to a clean-living, wildly gifted musician whose jazz endures long after his death.

Wilmington's past life as a jazz town may be little-recognized most of the year, but it revives when summer rolls into the city, drawing fans from as far as the West Coast and Europe.

Both the jazz legacy and its June recognition honor the late trumpeter Clifford Brown, a Wilmington native whose name is immortalized on the street where he lived and in the city's annual free jazz festival, this year June 17-23.

DuPont Co.'s longtime title sponsorship of the festival has been called a true sign of mainstream appreciation of Brown's music. Over the years, however, many festival guests have told The News Journal they are surprised or disappointed that Delaware does not honor Clifford Brown more -- or treat his grave like the landmark it should be.

But bebopping "Brownie" was modest, as is his grave and as was his life. He was born Oct. 30, 1930, in Wilmington, where his family lived at 1013 Poplar St.

Their humble home was razed long ago, but its lot -- on the stretch of Poplar renamed Clifford Brown Walk -- bears a state historical marker. Brown was a graduate of nearby Howard High School -- then Delaware's only high school for blacks -- where he played trumpet and starred in the school band. He even played a solo at graduation.

As a teen, Brown formed a band that played in Wilmington and nearby venues. He studied music with Robert "Boysie" Lowrey and at Maryland State University, now University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

But as he hit jazz stardom, he was killed in a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike as he headed to Chicago to perform. Also killed were his pianist, Richie Powell, and Powell's wife, Nancy.

A fast, fluid horn fell silent as Brown was buried in Mount Olive Cemetery on Lancaster Avenue just outside the city limits. There, his gravestone just inside the gate and to the right bears a tiny carved trumpet with musical notes.

Still, his legend grows as new generations of musicians cite influence by Brown, who didn't drink, avoided drugs and played with musicians such as Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, Lionel Hampton and Max Roach. Brown also was known for his devotion to his wife, LaRue, whom he married in 1954. She died in 2005.

Their only child, a namesake son, helps keep his father's legend alive through the Clifford Brown Foundation, which was started by his mother and welcomes donations to promote jazz as an art form and to sponsor lessons, workshops, mentoring, scholarships and instrument loans, among other programs.

His legacy certainly won't be forgotten in Wilmington as long as James M. Baker is mayor. Baker -- author of a two-volume jazz encyclopedia, "The Genuine American Music," -- has called Brown "the greatest jazz trumpeter who ever lived."

[brownie]

And now Clifford Brown has a statue in his hometown

Clifford Brown statue

[Dan Gould]

[.:.impossible]

beautiful

[colinmce]

Great!

[Christiern]

His music teacher in Wilmington was Sam Wooding.

[ElginThompson]

Awesome.