Parisian Thoroughfare
Harold Land (tenor sax), Clifford Brown (trumpet), Richie Powell (piano), George Morrow (bass) and Max Roach (drums). From the album Clifford Brown & Max Roach (1954).
Paris is the capital of France with more than two million inhabitants. It is located in the north of the country and is crossed by the Seine River. Since the 17th century it has been one of the largest centers of finance, commerce, fashion, science and art in Europe. It has two airports and a subway.
The city is famous for its museums and architectural monuments, including the Notre Dam Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and so on. It is also called “City of Light” for being the first European city to have light at night. It is the world’s most popular tourist destination and hosted the Olympic Games in 1900 and 1924.
The theme is introduced by the piano as if riding a horse and then followed by the trumpet. The saxophone and the drums also come in, and the whole group exposes the theme, which is energetic and fun. Land makes his solo happily accompanied by the piano and led by the double bass and the drums. Then Brown enters with his trumpet describing the narrow Parisian streets with a uniform speech spiced by odd quick passages. Powell plays the piano calmly. Now Brown exchanges four-bar solos with the drummer taking turns with Land and leave Roach free to make his solo. The horse trot returns and they re-expose the theme fading out.
© EmArcy Records