Clifford Brown & Max Roach

Study in Brown

First released1955

"Study in Brown" was recorded in 1955 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, one of the premier jazz recording facilities of the era. The album was produced by Alfred Lion for Blue Note Records, with Van Gelder serving as both engineer and recording technician. The sessions featured Clifford Brown's trumpet and Max Roach's drums leading a quintet that included Harold Land on tenor saxophone, Ray Drysdale on trombone, and Richie Powell on piano, with George Morrow on bass. The recording showcased Van Gelder's innovative close-miking techniques that captured the clarity and warmth characteristic of Blue Note's sound during the mid-1950s. The album represents an important document of hard bop during its formative period, recorded just months before Clifford Brown's tragic death in a car accident in June 1956.