He won the Down Beat critics' poll for the 'New Star of the Year' in 1954; he was inducted into the Down Beat 'Jazz Hall of Fame' in 1972 in the critics' poll. Sandoval described him as "one of what we call the mandatory trumpet players" who was "one of the greatest trumpet players of all time".

Life

Brown was born in Wilmington, Delaware. After briefly attending the University of Delaware and Maryland State College, he moved into playing music professionally, where he quickly became one of the most highly regarded trumpeters in jazz.

His style was influenced by Fats Navarro, sharing Navarro's virtuosic technique and brilliance of invention. His sound was warm and round, and notably consistent across the full range of the instument. He could articulate every note, even at the high tempos which seemed to present no difficulty to him; this served to enhance the impression of his speed of execution. His sense of harmony was highly developed, enabling him to deliver bold sequences through complex changes. As well as his up-tempo prowess, he could express himself deeply in a ballad performance. (It is said that he played each set as though it would be his last.)

Neil Tesser wrote of him:

"Clifford Brown could play with a speed and precision that challenged, and at time eclipsed even the virtuousity of his own idols ... But even more than that, Clifford became known for an brain-boggling capacity to improvise long, complex and stunningly well-constructed solos." He performed with Chris Powell, Tadd Dameron, Lionel Hampton, and Art Blakey before forming his own group with Max Roach. The Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet was a high water mark of the hard bop style. The group's pianist, Richie Powell (younger brother of Bud), contributed original compositions, as did Brown himself. One of their hallmarks was to take a familiar standard and play the theme in mixed meters, treating it alternately as a waltz and straight 4/4 for several bars at a time. This brought a modern edge to such standards as Cole Porter's I Get a Kick Out of You. The partnership of Brown's trumpet with Harold Land's tenor saxophone made for a very strong front line. Teddy Edwards briefly replaced Land before Sonny Rollins took over for the remainder of the group's existence.

The clean-living Brown has been cited as perhaps breaking the influence of heroin on the jazz world, a model established by Charlie Parker. Rollins said of him: "Clifford was a profound influence on my personal life. He showed me that it was possible to live a good, clean life and still be a good jazz musician." Roach described him as "one of the rare complete individuals ever born ... a sweet, beautiful [person]".

In June, 1956, Brown and Powell were being driven from Philadelphia to Chicago by Powell's wife Nancy, for the band's next appearance. While driving at night on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, she lost control of the car on a wet stretch of the road, and all three were killed.

Tributes

Benny Golson, who had done a stint in Lionel Hampton's band with "Brownie" (as he was known in the jazz world), wrote the beautiful threnody I Remember Clifford to honour his memory. The song became an instant standard, as musicians paid tribute by recording their personal reading of it.

Arturo Sandoval's entire second album after fleeing from his native Cuba, also titled I Remember Clifford, was likewise a tribute to Brown.

Partial list of compositions

• Joy Spring (perhaps Brown's best-known piece)
• Daahoud (also widely recorded by others)
• Bones for Jones
• George's Dilemma
• Gerkin for Perkin
• Sandu
• Swingin'
• The Blues Walk
• Tiny Capers

Partial discography

• Clifford Brown: Jazz Immortal (Pacific Jazz)
• Memorial Album (Blue Note, 1953)
• Brownie: The Complete EmArcy Recordings of Clifford Brown (Verve)
• Clifford Brown (Verve; selections from Brownie)
• Brown and Roach Incorporated (EmArcy, 1954)
• Study in Brown (EmArcy, 1955)
• Clifford Brown and Max Roach (EmArcy, 1955)
• At Basin Street (EmArcy, 1956)