At Basin Street

Personnel: Clifford Brown (trumpet); Max Roach (drums); Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Richie Powell (piano); George Morrow (bass).
Producer: Bob Shad.
Recorded in New York, New York on January 4 and February 16, 1956.
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 and pianist Richie Powell (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. Standout tracks include a swift, swinging rendition of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" and the bright, uplifting take on "I'll Remember April."