"Jacqui," composed by pianist Richie Powell, appears on the Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet's landmark 1955 album Study In Brown. The original composition follows a 36-bar AABA form in B-flat at a medium-up swing tempo of approximately 188 BPM, showcasing Powell's gift for crafting memorable hard bop themes. Trumpeter Clifford Brown opens the solo section with a single chorus, delivering the warm tone, impeccable technique, and singing melodic lines that characterized his brief but enormously influential career. Harold Land follows on tenor saxophone with a single chorus of assured, swinging improvisation, demonstrating the understated mastery that made him an ideal foil for Brown's more exuberant style. Powell himself takes a chorus on piano, bringing insider knowledge of the tune's harmonic structure to his solo. Max Roach rounds out the proceedings with a drum solo over the form, displaying the melodic approach to percussion that made him one of jazz's greatest innovators. The tune's slightly unusual 36-bar length adds an element of structural interest for both the soloists and attentive listeners. As one of the lesser-known tracks on Study In Brown, "Jacqui" nonetheless captures the extraordinary chemistry of a group whose collective brilliance continues to influence jazz musicians decades later.
