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Ken Clarke's Jazz Greats

Factual: Life Stories

Music: Jazz & Blues

Former chancellor Ken Clarke profiles great jazz musicians of the 20th century

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Ken Clarke's Jazz Greats: Series 9

Ken Clarke's Jazz Greats: Series 9: Episode 4: Clifford Brown

Episode 4

Episode 4: Clifford Brown

Series 9

Clifford Brown

BBC Radio 4 - Ken Clarke's Jazz Greats, Series 9, Clifford Brown

Ken Clarke and guest Abram Wilson discuss the music of the 1950s trumpeter Clifford Brown.

Ken Clarke and his guest Abram Wilson discuss the life and music of the 1950s trumpeter Clifford Brown.

In the last programme of the current series, Ken Clarke and his guest Abram Wilson discuss the life and music of the 1950s trumpeter Clifford Brown. 
Given a trumpet by his father at the age of 15, Clifford's natural talent was immediately apparent. After only a few years of practising the instrument he was playing gigs with artists such as Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham and Fats Navarro. By 22 he already had an original style and the quintet he went on to form with Max Roach is regarded as one of the best of the 1950s. 
Sadly his professional career was bookended by two horrific car crashes. The first was nearly ended his life and left him in hospital for a year. And only five years later he was involved in a second accident, but this time he was tragically killed. But, as Ken and Abram explain, in the short time he was playing and recording he did enough to put him up there with the all time Jazz Greats.

Abram Wilson is an award winning New Orleans trumpeter and vocalist based in the UK.

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Ken Clarke MP profiles great jazz musicians of the 20th century

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Ken Clarke's Jazz Greats

Series 9

Episode 4: Clifford Brown

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