The EmArcy Master Takes: 8-LP Exclusive Collectors' Edition

Clifford Brown’s rise from astonishing prodigy to pioneering master was nothing short of magnificent — a trajectory cut short in one of the great tragedies in jazz history when he died in a car accident at the age of 25, four years after his recording debut.
 
Following gigs with Tadd Dameron, Lionel Hampton, and Art Blakey, Brown formed a quintet with drummer Max Roach. Considered one of the premiere hard bop bands, the group recorded together for the EmArcy label for just 18 months, but their collaboration resulted in some of the most enduring jazz of all time.
 
This 8-LP set contains the 49 master takes from those instrumental sessions—these masters produced seven classic albums as well as tracks featured on several posthumous releases.
 
At EmArcy, Brown and Roach, working with producer Bob Shad, recorded with the regular members of their quintet—Harold Land (tenor sax), Richie Powell (piano), George Morrow (bass), and Sonny Rollins, who replaced Land—plus a slew of other star players, as well as a Los Angeles string section arranged and conducted by Neal Hefti.
 
Clifford Brown’s story and the scintillating music he made with his peers is further illuminated in a 5,000-word essay by Grammy-winning author Francis Davis.

Tracklist

LP 1

Side A

1 Delilah 08:07
2 Darn That Dream 04:04
3 Parisian Thoroughfare 07:19

Side B

1 Jordu 07:46
2 Sweet Clifford 06:42
3 I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You 07:22

LP 2

Side A

1 Stompin' At the Savoy 06:26
2 I Get a Kick Out of You 07:39
3 I'll String Along With You 04:12

Side B

1 Joy Spring 06:52
2 Mildama 04:33
3 These Foolish Things 03:42
4 Daahoud 04:01

LP 3

Side A

1 Coronado 19:47

Side B

2 You Go To My Head 17:16

LP 4

Side A

1 Caravan 15:12

Side B

1 Autumn In New York 21:35

LP 5

Side A

1 Portrait of Jenny 03:28
2 What's New 03:27
3 Yesterdays 03:01
4 Where Or When 03:31
5 Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 03:47

Side B

1 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 03:16\
2 Laura 03:29
3 Memories of You 03:35
4 Embraceable You 03:04
5 Blue Moon 03:16

LP 6

Side A

1 Willow Weep For Me 03:28
2 Stardust 03:26
3 Gerkin For Perkin 02:57
4 Take the "A" Train 04:19
5 Lands End 04:57

Side B

1 Swingin' 02:53
2 George's Dilemma 05:37
3 If I Love Again 03:25
4 The Blues Walk 06:44

LP 7

Side A

1 What Am I Here For? 03:10
2 Cherokee 05:44
3 Jacqui 05:11

Side B

1 Sandu 04:56
2 Gertrude's Bounce 04:13
3 Step Lightly (Junior's Arrival) 03:36
4 Powell's Prances 03:32

LP 8

Side A

1 I'll Remember April 09:19
2 Time 05:08

Side B

1 The Scene is Clean 06:10
2 Flossie Lou 03:59
3 What is This Thing Called Love 07:40
4 Love is a Many Splendored Thing 04:16