WKCR announces our annual celebration of the great Clifford Brown with a 24-hour birthday broadcast on October 30th. Despite his tragic death at the early age of 25, Clifford Brown remains one of the most important and influential jazz musicians to have ever lived. Born October 30, 1930 in Wilmington, Delaware, Clifford began working as a professional musician in 1951 with Chris Powell and his then-popular R’n’B group “Chris Powell and the Five Blue Flames.” Just a couple of years later at the age of 22, he was recording for Blue Note with Lou Donaldson and J.J. Johnson. In 1954, after tours of Scandinavia, the European continent, and North Africa the previous year, he continued to expand his career. Brown joined Art Blakey and Horace Silver for “A Night At Birdland,” a date that many believe to be the launching point of the Jazz Messengers. In this same year, the “Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet” was founded, and the quintet launched into the studio for seven sessions in two weeks. Before the devastating accident which took Clifford–as well as his bandmate Richie Powell and his wife Nancy–from the world too soon, Clifford set things into motion that would alter the course of jazz history. His approach not only influenced nearly every trumpet player to come after him, but also the structure of the small jazz group ensemble. In his short career, Clifford left behind a world of ideas, and a profound legacy of recordings. Tune in to WKCR on the 30th to celebrate Clifford’s life and music with us on what would be his 94th birthday.

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