Tracks Unwrapped
Daahoud
Clifford Brown
Exploring the stories behind the music
Trumpeter Clifford Brown was born on 30th October 1930 in Wilmington, Delaware. He was one of four boys whose father, also a trumpeter, organised his sons as a vocal quartet. Clifford was fascinated by his father's trumpet and started having trumpet lessons at school when he was about ten. At thirteen, his father bought him his own trumpet; he began taking private lessons and at junior high school he joined a jazz group arranged by a teacher. Clifford went on to Delaware State University to read Maths but soon transferred to Maryland State College with its musical strand and he went frequently to Philadelphia for the music there. By now he was playing in the fourteen strong, jazz-oriented Maryland State Band.
In June 1950 after a gig, Clifford was seriously injured in a car accident. He was hospitalised for a year and afterwards he was limited to playing the piano for some months. For the rest of his short life he continued to suffer with his shoulder dislocating. Nevertheless, during his stay in hospital he was visited by Dizzy Gillespie who encouraged him to continue with his playing and eventually Clifford started to play professionally. He quickly became a respected jazz musician.
Clifford's interest in the music had been stimulated by meeting Fats Navarro when he was just fifteen. He shared 'Navarro's virtuosic technique and brilliance of invention. His sound was warm and round, and notably consistent across the full range of the instrument. He could articulate every note, even at very fast tempos which seemed to present no difficulty to him; this served to enhance the impression of his speed of execution. His sense of harmony was highly developed, enabling him to deliver bold statements through complex harmonic progressions (chord changes), and embodying the linear, "algebraic" terms of bebop harmony. In addition to his up-tempo prowess, he could express himself deeply in a ballad performance' (Wikipedia).
'Brownie' as he became known, recorded and performed with Tadd Dameron, J.J. Johnson, Lionel Hampton, and Art Blakey amongst others. He formed his own band with drummer Max Roach and their Quintet became established as one of the leading 'hard bop' groups, writing and playing their own music. When saxophinist Harold Land left the group, he was replaced by Sonny Rollins and the band shone ever brighter. Clifford did not 'do drugs or alcohol' and Sonny Rollins has said: "Clifford was a profound influence on my personal life. He showed me that it was possible to live a good, clean life and still be a good jazz musician."
Daahoud was written by Clifford when he was just 23 years old. It was first released on an album by the Clifford Brown Ensemble album featuring saxophonist Zoot Sims in 1955 and then on the Clifford Brown and Max Roach album in the same year. Here is that recording:
With regard to the origin of the name, 'Daahoud', Idris Dawud, says: "He (Clifford Brown) named the tune after Talib Dawud, my father. Dawud is the Arabic equivalent of 'David', meaning "my beloved". They were trumpet-playing acquaintances in Philly in the early '50s, along with Diz and Lee". In a later comment, Idris says: "To go a little further, there was the more well-known side of jazz musicians who used drugs, but there was also a very straight laced, spiritual crop of guys too, but you'll never hear about that. A lot of these guys studied and some adopted Middle Eastern religions, including Diz and Art. Coltrane was studying too, and it influenced his later music a lot".
However, Idris later accepts a different explanation from a jazz historian who links Daahood to pianist Roosevelt Wardell: "Roosevelt "Daahoud" Wardell - "Spirituality and music are often said to go hand in hand, but rarely are they merged as clearly as in the essence of pianist Roosevelt Wardell. The descendent of a long line of clergymen dating back to pre-slavery Egypt, Mr. Wardell is perhaps best known by his family's spiritual name, Daahoud and as the subject of trumpeter Clifford Brown's famous composition by the same name. Mr. Wardell's musical training was informal; he taught himself and learned from the many family members who sang or played musical instruments. His inspiration for playing the piano at an early age came from his partially paralyzed brother. He vividly remembers sitting behind the old upright piano as his brother played and continuing the music himself when his brother took a break. After a few private lessons from a local music teacher and some training in public school, Mr. Wardell left his hometown of Baltimore to make his New York debut at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater in 1950 at merely age 16. After a two-month stint at the Club Lido in New York, he returned to Baltimore to finish school, stopping here in Wilmington on his way. Mr. Wardell returned to make Wilmington his permanent home in 1978 after many years of touring with musicians such as Mantan Moreland, Big Joe Turner, and Max Roach ......".
Tragedy struck in June 1956 when Brownie and pianist Richie Powell set off to drive to a gig in Chicago. Richie's wife Nancy was driving so that the men could sleep, but it was night and raining when they reached the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It is thought that Nancy lost control of the car, which went off the road, killing all three in the resulting crash. Clifford Brown is buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery, in Wilmington, Delaware. He was just 24 years old.
So we are unable to ask Clifford Brown himself about the origin of Daahoud, but the tune has become a jazz 'Standard' and has been played for many years by various bands - a fitting tribute to 'Brownie.
Here is a video from the Foxborough Jazz Improvisation Workshop for young musicians in Massachusetts in June 2026:
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2026.8