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1995 compilation album by Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Alone Together: The Best of the Mercury Years is a compilation album featuring recordings by trumpeter
Clifford Brown and drummer
Max Roach in groups together and separately which were originally released on
Mercury and subsidiary labels.
[1]
Reception
Allmusic 's John Bush noted "Verve's two-disc collection of the best recordings from the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet recorded for Mercury/Emarcy between 1954 and 1956 includes a parade of Brown-Roach classics ...The second disc, which doesn't include Brown at all, reels through a highlight film of Max Roach's varied quintets of the late '50s after the death of Brown in 1956. Of course, Roach's sessions during that time feature many great recordings – trumpeter Booker Little is a competent replacement for Brown, and tenors Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, and Stanley Turrentine all have great spots – but record buyers expecting this set to live up to its title might be disappointed".
[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested Core Collection.
[3]
[4]
Track listing
Disc one
"
Cherokee " (
Ray Noble ) – 5:43
"
Joy Spring " (Clifford Brown) – 6:51
"
What's New? " (
Bob Haggart ,
Johnny Burke ) – 3:25
"Mildama" (Max Roach) – 4:32
"
September Song " (
Kurt Weill ,
Maxwell Anderson ) – 5:46
"What Am I Here For?" (
Duke Ellington ,
Frankie Laine ) – 3:09
"Sandu" (Brown) – 4:55
"Daahoud" (Brown) – 4:02
"
Born to Be Blue " (
Robert Wells ,
Mel Tormé ) – 5:15
"
Jordu " (
Duke Jordan ) – 7:46
"Gertrude's Bounce" (
Richie Powell ) – 4:10
"
Stardust " (
Hoagy Carmichael ,
Mitchell Parish ) – 3:24
"Parisian Thoroughfare" (
Bud Powell ) – 7:19
"Blues Walk" (Brown) – 6:46
Disc two
"Dr. Free-Zee" (Roach) – 2:07
"
Just One of Those Things " (
Cole Porter ) – 7:21
"Valse Hot" (
Sonny Rollins ) – 14:28
"Tune-Up" (
Eddie Vinson ) – 7:46
"
Yardbird Suite " (
Charlie Parker ) – 3:54
"
A Night in Tunisia " (
Dizzy Gillespie , Frank Paparelli) – 8:15
"La Villa" (
Kenny Dorham ) – 6:17
"Max's Variations" (
Harold Farberman ) – 2:20
"Prelude" (Consuela Lee) – 5:08
"Juliano" (
Julian Priester ) – 5:43
"Lotus Blossom" (
Arthur Johnston ,
Sam Coslow ) – 5:34
"The Left Bank" (Brown) – 3:17
"Never Leave Me" (
Gordon Jenkins ) – 6:49
Personnel
Max Roach – drums (All tracks except Disc One: tracks 5 & 9)
Clifford Brown (Disc One),
Kenny Dorham (Disc Two: tracks 1–5),
Booker Little (Disc Two: tracks 6, 7 & 9),
Tommy Turrentine (Disc two: tracks 10–13) – trumpet
Julian Priester –
trombone (Disc Two: tracks 9–13)
Ray Draper –
tuba (Disc Two: tracks 6 & 7)
Herbie Mann – flute (Disc One: track 5)
George Coleman (Disc Two: tracks 6, 7 & 9),
Harold Land (Disc One: tracks: 1–2, 4, 6–8, 10 & 13–14),
Hank Mobley (Disc Two: tracks 4 & 5),
Paul Quinichette (Disc One: track 5),
Sonny Rollins (Disc One: track 11, Disc Two: tracks 1–3),
Stanley Turrentine (Disc Two: tracks 10–13) –
tenor saxophone
Danny Banks –
baritone saxophone (Disc One: track 9)
Barry Galbraith (Disc One: tracks 3, 9 & 12) – guitar
Ray Bryant (Disc Two: tracks 1, 2 & 13),
Jimmy Jones (Disc One: tracks 5 & 9),
Richie Powell (Disc One: tracks 1–4, 6–8 & 10), Bill Wallace (Disc Two: track 3) – piano
Joe Benjamin (Disc One: track 5), Bob Boswell (Disc Two: tracks 10–13),
Nelson Boyd (Disc Two: track 5),
Art Davis (Disc Two: tracks 6, 7 & 9),
Milt Hinton (Disc One: track 9),
George Morrow (Disc One: tracks 1–4, 6–8 & 10–14, Disc Two: tracks 1–4) –
bass
Roy Haynes (Disc One: track 5),
Osie Johnson (Disc One: track 9) – drums
The Boston Percussion Ensemble – percussion (Disc Two: track 8)
Abbey Lincoln (Disc Two: track 13),
Helen Merrill (Disc One: track 9),
Sarah Vaughan (Disc One: track 5) – vocals
Unidentified
string section (Disc One: tracks 3 & 12)
Irving Faberman (Disc Two: track 8),
Neil Hefti (Disc One: tracks 3 & 12),
Quincy Jones (Disc One: track 9),
Ernie Wilkins (Disc One: track 5) – arranger and conductor
References
Years given are for the recording(s), years in square brackets refer to the listed 12" LP/CD release.
Albums as leader Co-led/with
Max Roach Sideman with others Compilations
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release
As leader or co-leader With
Max Roach With others Compilations
Albums
The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (1953)
Max Roach + 4 (1956)
Jazz in 3/4 Time (1956–57)
The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker (1957–58)
Award-Winning Drummer (1958)
Booker Little 4 and Max Roach (1958)
MAX (1958)
Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene (1958)
Max Roach + 4 at Newport (1958)
Max Roach with the Boston Percussion Ensemble (1958)
Deeds, Not Words (1958)
Moon Faced and Starry Eyed (with
Abbey Lincoln , 1959)
Quiet as It's Kept (1959)
Rich Versus Roach (and
Buddy Rich , 1959)
The Many Sides of Max (1959)
Long as You're Living (1960)
Parisian Sketches (1960)
We Insist! (1960)
Percussion Bitter Sweet (1961)
It's Time (1962)
Money Jungle (and
Duke Ellington ,
Charles Mingus , 1962)
Speak, Brother, Speak! (1962)
The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan (and
Hasaan Ibn Ali , 1964)
Drums Unlimited (1965)
Members, Don't Git Weary (1968)
Lift Every Voice and Sing (1971)
Re: Percussion (
M'Boom ,
Strata-East , 1973)
Birth and Rebirth (and
Anthony Braxton , 1978)
Historic Concerts (and
Cecil Taylor , 1979)
M'Boom (1979)
One in Two – Two in One (and
Anthony Braxton , 1979)
Pictures in a Frame (1979)
The Long March (and
Archie Shepp , 1979)
In the Light (1982)
Live at Vielharmonie (1983)
Collage (M'Boom, 1984)
It's Christmas Again (1984)
Scott Free (1984)
Survivors (1984)
Easy Winners (1985)
Bright Moments (1986)
Max + Dizzy: Paris 1989 (and
Dizzy Gillespie , 1989)
To the Max! (1990–91)
With
Clifford Brown Compilations