"I Remember Clifford" is the title of an instrumental jazz threnody written by jazz tenor saxophone player Benny Golson in memory of Clifford Brown, the influential and highly regarded jazz trumpeter who died in an auto accident at the age of 25. Brown and Golson had done a stint in Lionel Hampton's band together. The original recording was by Donald Byrd in January 1957.
The composition became an instant standard, as musicians paid tribute to Brown by recording their personal reading of it. Golson later said, "[it] took me several weeks, but I'd never written a composition like it before. I wanted to create a melody that the public would remember, and associate it with [him]."
I Remember Clifford is also the name of an album by Arturo Sandoval. The entire album is a tribute to Brown, who was a great influence on Sandoval, and features Golson's tune.
Lee Morgan - Lee Morgan Vol. 3 (Blue Note, 1957)
Don Ellis - Shock Treatment (2002)
Art Farmer and Benny Golson, Meet the Jazztet (Argo, 1960)
Stan Getz - Didn't We (Verve, 1969)
Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (Verve, 1957); Birks Works: The Verve Big Band Sessions (Verve, 1957)
Woody Herman - Woody Live East and West (CBS, 1965)
Milt Jackson - Bags' Opus (United Artists, 1958)
Keith Jarrett - Still Live (ECM, 1986)
Modern Jazz Quartet - European Concert (Atlantic, 1960)
Oscar Peterson - Something Warm (Verve, 1962)
George Cables - Circle (Contemporary, 1979)
Bud Powell - A Tribute to Cannonball - with Don Byas (Columbia, 1961 [1979])
Buddy Rich - Blues Caravan (Verve, 1961)
Sonny Rollins - Now's the Time (RCA Victor, 1964)
Arturo Sandoval - I Remember Clifford (GRP Records, 1992)
Seneca Black - I Remember Clifford (Peter Drew, 2016)
Jon Hendricks added the lyrics, and recorded by jazz vocalists including:
Dinah Washington - recorded October 4, 1957, but probably not released until 1959 compilation album The Queen!.
Carmen McRae - 1958 album Carmen for Cool Ones
Kenny Dorham - 1958 album This Is the Moment! (Riverside)
Nancy Wilson with George Shearing - 1961 album The Swingin's Mutual!
Ray Charles - 1970 album My Kind of Jazz
Sarah Vaughan - Live in Prague 1978 (DVD). Vaughan probably made no studio recordings nor official live recordings of this song.
The Manhattan Transfer - 1985 album Vocalese
Helen Merrill - 1995 album Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown
Washington, Vaughan and Merrill are only three vocalists who recorded with Brown.
