Jazz Changes

Benny Golson, music · Jon Hendricks, lyrics · First recorded in 1957 by Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce on Jazz Lab (Columbia)

I Remember Clifford

Benny Golson wrote I Remember Clifford as a tribute to trumpeter Clifford Brown, who died at 25. It is Golson's most recorded tune, and its half-diminished chords give it a dark, mournful color. You will hear it from Lee Morgan, Carmen McRae, the Jazztet, Dizzy Gillespie's big band and Oscar Peterson.

▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.

  1. 1 Learn the song Lee Morgan
  2. 2 Hear the words Carmen McRae
  3. 3 Hear a working band Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet
  4. 4 Hear it as a piano trio Oscar Peterson Trio
  5. 5 Hear a vibes quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet
  6. 6 Hear it on guitar Pat Martino
  7. 7 Hear it as a duet Stan Getz and Kenny Barron
  8. 8 Hear the tune for a big band The Dizzy Gillespie Band at Newport

How the tune works

D♭ majorusual key
32 barsA · A² · B · A³ form
D♭key centers

The tune is built as A1, A2, B, A3 over 32 bars, and the original version opens with a six-measure introduction. The harmony stays mostly in major. Its dark color comes from frequent secondary dominants that are dressed with half-diminished chords.

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

The path starts with Lee Morgan's 1957 record, then moves through a vocal with Jon Hendricks's lyric, the Jazztet, a piano trio, a vibes quartet, a guitar quartet, a sax and piano duo and Dizzy Gillespie's big band. Each step gives you one thing to hear and one thing to try.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Lee Morgan 1957

    Lee Morgan Vol. 3

    Listen for
    Benny Golson, who wrote the tune, plays tenor sax in this sextet, with Gigi Gryce on alto sax. Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Charlie Persip (drums) make up the rhythm section.
    Try this
    Play the melody from your lead sheet one phrase at a time, then play it along with this track. Smaller version: play only the first phrase with the record and stop.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear the words Now playing

    Carmen McRae 1957

    Carmen for Cool Ones

    Listen for
    Fred Katz, who arranged and conducted, is credited on cello. The track runs 2:58, so the whole performance is under three minutes.
    Try this
    Sing the melody on a single syllable along with McRae. If you play an instrument, play it with the same phrasing. Smaller version: match only the first phrase.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear a working band Now playing

    Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet 1960

    Meet the Jazztet

    Listen for
    Three horns play in this version: Art Farmer's trumpet, Curtis Fuller's trombone and Benny Golson's tenor sax. The track is 3:13, less than half as long as Lee Morgan's.
    Try this
    Play along and count the bars out loud as the melody goes by, starting from the first note. Smaller version: count only the first eight.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear it as a piano trio Now playing

    Oscar Peterson Trio 1961

    “I Remember Clifford (Live At The London House, Chicago, 1961)”, Something Warm

    Listen for
    No horns here: Oscar Peterson's piano takes the lead, with Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. At 9:51 the track runs about three times as long as the Jazztet's.
    Try this
    On piano or guitar, play only the chord roots from your lead sheet, one per bar, under the trio. Smaller version: do the first eight bars and stop.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear a vibes quartet Now playing

    The Modern Jazz Quartet 1960

    “I Remember Clifford (European Concert Version)”, European Concert

    Listen for
    Only four players: Milt Jackson on vibes, John Lewis on piano, Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums. Listen for the vibes and piano, with no horns or guitar.
    Try this
    Play the melody along with the record, then go back and play only the bass notes of your chords. Smaller version: do only the first eight bars.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear it on guitar Now playing

    Pat Martino 1976

    Exit

    Listen for
    Pat Martino plays guitar with Gil Goldstein on piano, Richard Davis on bass and Jabali Billy Hart on drums. The track runs 7:48.
    Try this
    Guitarists: play the chords of the first eight bars from your lead sheet along with the record. Other players: hum the melody over it. Smaller version: play only the first four bars.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear it as a duet Now playing

    Stan Getz and Kenny Barron 1991

    “I Remember Clifford (Live At Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen / March 5th 1991)”, People Time

    Listen for
    Only two players: Stan Getz on tenor sax and Kenny Barron on piano, with no bass or drums. The track runs 9:39.
    Try this
    Play the melody on any instrument while a friend or a backing track plays the chords, or play both parts yourself in turn. Smaller version: play only the first four bars.
    YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear the tune for a big band Now playing

    The Dizzy Gillespie Band at Newport 1957

    “I Remember Clifford (Live)”, Dizzy Gillespie at Newport

    Listen for
    This band has five trumpets, three trombones, two altos, two tenors and a baritone sax, with Wynton Kelly, Paul West and Charles Persip as the rhythm section. Benny Golson, who wrote the arrangement, plays in the tenor section.
    Try this
    Play the melody along with the record, and try to stay with the band's pace for one phrase at a time. Smaller version: play only the first four bars.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

More great versions