A Rifftides reader named Deborah writes in response to the Clifford Brown item:
Ah. The penny just dropped.
I am a fairly new listener to jazz, and sometimes I feel like I’ll never get up to speed. The first album I ever bought was John Lewis-The Wonderful World of Jazz and it remains an all-time favorite.
One of the songs on the album is “I Remember Clifford” by Benny Golson. It is performed by Lewis on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. It is a tender goodbye, see-you-down-the-road kind of song that stops just short of being melancholy.
Was this song composed in tribute to Clifford Brown?
It was, shortly after Clifford died, and has been a part of the standard repertoire ever since. The Lewis album, from 1960, is a classic. That was a fine way to start your listening career.