This alternate take of Clifford Brown's composition "Daahoud" was recorded during the 1954 sessions for the Clifford Brown & Max Roach self-titled EmArcy album. The AABA form in E-flat is taken at a slightly more relaxed tempo than the issued master, giving the soloists marginally more room to breathe within the tune's demanding harmonic framework. Brown leads with two choruses of trumpet, his improvisation following a different developmental arc than the released version while displaying the same dazzling technique and melodic resourcefulness. Richie Powell takes one chorus of piano, his approach here revealing subtle differences in harmonic choices and rhythmic phrasing compared to the master take. Harold Land delivers one chorus of tenor saxophone, his robust sound cutting through the ensemble with authority. Max Roach closes with one chorus of drums, his solo maintaining the formal structure of the composition while exploring new rhythmic ideas. Alternate takes from this era are particularly valuable because the Brown-Roach quintet's time together was cut tragically short by the automobile accident that claimed the lives of both Brown and Powell in June 1956. Every surviving recording from these sessions preserves irreplaceable moments of musical invention from one of jazz history's most important ensembles.
