He won the Down Beat critics' poll for the 'New Star of the Year' in 1954; he was inducted into the Down Beat 'Jazz Hall of Fame' in 1972 in the critics' poll. Sandoval described him as "one of what we call the mandatory trumpet players" who was "one of the greatest trumpet players of all time".
Wilmington, Delaware, (where Brownie was born and is buried), hosts an annual jazz fest in his honor. Sponsored by the cities arts commission known as Citifest, the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a FREE week long event held mostly in outdoor venues at various locations in Wilmington. The festival usually occurs the 3rd week in June of each year.
Noteable websites are:
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival: http://www.cliffordbrownjazzfest.com
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown_Jazz_Festival
Brownie, the unofficial memorial website: http://cliffordbrown.net
Cherokee
Clifford Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't forget you, Cherokee sweetheart.
Child of the prairie, your love keeps calling,
My heart enthralling, Cherokee.
Dreams of summertime, of lover time gone by,
Throng my memory so tenderly, and sigh. My
Sweet Indian maiden, one day I'll hold you,
In my arms fold you, Cherokee.
In the song "Cherokee," Clifford Brown talks about his infatuation with a Native American woman whom he met and cannot forget. He sings about how her love captivates his heart and how he dreams of the times they spent together in the past. He refers to her as a "child of the prairie" which hints that she comes from an indigenous group that lives on the Great Plains of North America. The memories of their past and her seemingly unattainable presence continue to haunt him, and he dreams of the day he will hold her in his arms once again.
The lyrics of this song provide a glimpse of Clifford Brown's romantic notion of an Indigenous woman whom he refers to as many White people did in the early 20th century as sweet Indian maidens. The lyrics also provide an insight into the prairie lifestyle of Native American women and the effect they had on outsiders.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet Indian maiden, since first I met you,
Addressing a Native American woman as a symbol of tenderness, my attraction for her since the first meeting is still alive.
I can't forget you, Cherokee sweetheart.
Even though I have not met her for a long time, the memory of the Native American woman is still fresh and I feel an affinity for her.
Child of the prairie, your love keeps calling,
Describing the woman as a personification of the prairie who keeps reminding me of her love for me.
My heart enthralling, Cherokee.
As fascinated as I am with the open landscape of the prairies, her love enraptures my heart completely, Cherokee still haunts me.
Dreams of summertime, of lover time gone by,
The recollection of an idyllic summertime romance and memories of the previous love experiences still linger fresh in my memory.
Throng my memory so tenderly, and sigh. My
My memories are soft, delicate and so vivid, that I can only respond with a sigh.
Sweet Indian maiden, one day I'll hold you,
The image of the woman waiting for me never fades away, and it is my ardent desire to hold her tight.
In my arms fold you, Cherokee.
To embrace her, my Cherokee princess and hold her captive in my heart and arms forever.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ray Noble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@salamakha
Brave Indian warrior
Since first I met you
I can't forget you
Cherokee sweetheart!
Child of the prairie
Your love keeps calling
My heart enthralling
You Cherokee!
In the Summertime
Of lover time gone by
From my memory
So tenderly inside!
My brave Indian warrior
Obne day I'll hold you
In my arms hold you
My Cherokee!
In the Summertime
Of lover time gone by
From my memory
So tenderly inside!
My brave Indian warrior
Obne day I'll hold you
In my arms I'll hold you
My Cherokee!
@kevinjib
Clifford had been playing for a mere 11 years at this point. I've been playing for 34 and can't even comprehend his talent. RIP Brownie, one of the best ever still. Who knows how far he would have gone. We're so lucky for the recordings we have of him.
@robertbradley8547
Ditto and Bravo
@johntravena119
His technique was freakishly perfect like Glenn Gould’s.
@TurtleTurtlez
I remember Clifford
@gordo64ful
@@johntravena119 but unlike Gould, Clifford had taste.
@johntravena119
@@gordo64ful Sheeeeeeeeeeeit..
@jayholcey2678
Absolutely one of the best versions of Cherokee ever hands down. Max Roach's solo was incredible...Brownie and Max were a match made in heaven to jazz!
@polymath7
+Jay Holcey
Sonny Stitt's version is also damn good.
@Garramedia
Well...You may have heard versions of Charlie Parker, who renamed the tune as KoKo...Don't miss e'm if you didn't.....
@TheAwesomenessman123
Idk peep Freddie Hubbard's live solo on cherokee 👀