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
Laura
Clifford Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The laugh that floats on a summer night
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
Those eyes, how familiar they seem
She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream
The song “Laura” by Clifford Brown is a melancholic love song about a woman who is only a dream for the singer. The song’s lyrics evoke a longing for something half-remembered, something that never happened, yet is as vivid in the mind as if it were a real experience. The singer describes the feeling of recognizing someone that he has never met before, capturing the essence of that unexplainable sense of familiarity.
The song’s title character, Laura, is portrayed as a misty and elusive figure, with her face appearing in the shadows and her footsteps echoing down the hall. Even the sound of her laughter is described as a faint memory, something that can be heard but never fully recalled. The song’s narrator imagines seeing Laura on a passing train, her eyes seeming familiar and filled with the same longing that he himself feels.
“Laura” is a beautiful and poignant song that captures the universal experience of unrequited love and the ache of longing for a lost dream.
Line by Line Meaning
You know the feeling of something half remembered
The sensation of having a vague memory but not being able to recollect all details.
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
The recollection of a fictitious event that left a significant impact in your mind.
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
The emotion that arises when you think you have seen someone before and are familiar with them.
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
The certainty that you have not met this individual but cannot shake off the feeling that you have.
Laura is the face in the misty light
Laura represents the person that appears to be a distant vision in foggy light.
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
You hear footsteps that sound as if they are approaching but do not know from where they come.
The laugh that floats on a summer night
The sound of a laugh that echoes through the silence on a still summer night.
That you can never quite recall
The memory of something that cannot be brought to mind fully.
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
The sudden apparition of Laura on a train that quickly passes by.
Those eyes, how familiar they seem
The recognition of the familiarity of the eyes of Laura even though you cannot pinpoint how you know them.
She gave your very first kiss to you
Laura represents the person that gave you your first kiss.
That was Laura but she's only a dream
Laura is only but a figment of your imagination, a dream that continues to surface in your mind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID RAKSIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lady C
Impecable y emotiva!! Adoro esta pieza!! ♫♥
Pepper Williams
This version and Bobby Hackett's (cornet) version of "Laura" are PURE GOLD! Clifford is among my 5 top jazz trumpet players.
944gemma
Oh my goodness. I agree with you on both. Love Bobby Hackett and love Clifford Brown. Love their they’re renditions of Laura and everything else they played.
John Michael
One of my favorite Jazz standards played by one of my favorite Jazz musicians.
shellybellysf
Fabulous record, one you keep returning to again and again throughout the years. His maturity and nuance is astounding considering he was around 23 or so when he recorded it.
CrooningForLeftovers
My all~time favorite jazz performer, the finest who ever pushed air through a horn !!
radanes rodriguez
la puedo escuchar mil veces siempre hay algo nuevo
hay algo nuevo que aprender
MykeysTay
Absolutely beautiful- what more can you say 💕 cheers .
Heloisa Leal Pires
Está foi a melhor versão de “Laura” que já ouvi.
Rodolfo Gonzalez. R
Simplemente 👏👏👏👏SENSACIONAL