Clifford Brown
Trumpet Solo on
Valse Hot

About

Clifford Brown's trumpet solo is the second of four improvisations on this recording, following Rollins's tenor saxophone. Taking five choruses of the 16-bar form in A-flat at 132 BPM in 3/4 time, Brown brings his brilliant tone and flawless technique to the waltz framework. His ability to sustain invention over five choruses in triple meter is a testament to his extraordinary musicianship, his flowing lines adapting seamlessly to the rhythmic contour of the waltz while maintaining the melodic richness and harmonic sophistication that characterized his tragically brief career.

Clifford Brown was 25 to 26 years old at the time.