I REMEMBER CLIFFORD - Free Jazz Leadsheet

Composed by Benny Golson in 1957 as a tribute to the late trumpeter Clifford Brown, "i remember clifford" was first recorded by Golson's quintet, featuring artful melodic lines and sophisticated harmonic textures. The tune quickly became a jazz standard.

The piece carries a lyrical, bittersweet message, memorializing a friend through music. Structurally, it is built on a 32-bar form with rich, chordal progressions that provide ample space for improvisation.

Later recordings by Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw, and other jazz luminaries have kept the song central to modern jazz repertoire, celebrated for both its emotional depth and compositional craftsmanship.