‘Love Is A Many Splendored Thing’, by Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Recorded mere months before Clifford Brown died in a car crash, 1956’s ‘At Basin Street’ finds the revered trumpeter in top form, co-leading an ensemble with drummer Max Roach that included saxophonist Sonny Rollins (his only performance with this quintet) and pianist Richie Powell (Bud Powell’s brother, who was also killed in the accident). Morbid associations aside, this record is a vibrant hard-bop outing with Brown’s amazingly agile horn lines always commanding attention even when compared to Rollins’s robust sax work.
‘Love Is a Many Splendored Thing’ is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The song was publicized first in the movie, ‘Love Is a Many Splendored Thing’ (1955), winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The theme song is here, on my YouTube channel.
Recorded in New York, New York on January 4th and February 16th, 1956.
Clifford Brown - Trumpet
Sonny Rollins - Tenor Saxophone
Richie Powell - Piano
George Morrow - Bass
Max Roach - Drums
