This 1954 recording of "These Foolish Things" from the Clifford Brown & Max Roach self-titled EmArcy album presents a rare spotlight for bassist George Morrow, who takes the sole featured solo on this intimate ballad performance. Jack Strachey's beloved standard, set in E-flat with an AABA form, unfolds at a gentle ballad tempo that allows Morrow to display a side of his musicianship that the quintet's up-tempo repertoire seldom revealed. His half-chorus bass solo is richly melodic, his deep, woody tone singing through the changes with the lyricism more commonly associated with horn players. While Morrow is often overshadowed in discussions of this legendary group by the more prominent voices of Brown, Land, Powell, and Roach, performances like this one remind listeners of the essential role he played in the ensemble's sound. His rock-solid timekeeping and harmonic awareness provided the foundation upon which the group's spectacular improvisations were built. The track serves as a welcome change of pace on an album dominated by medium and up-tempo performances, and it highlights the quintet's versatility and sensitivity. As one of the few recorded features for Morrow with this group, it holds a special place in the Brown-Roach discography.
