What Am I Here For?

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).

What am I here for? What does all this mean? I can’t control my circumstances, like the weather or the noise of the renovation in the neighbor's house. Each person has their own interests, almost always different from mine. The only thing we can control is our way of thinking and acting, our attitude to life. Are you an optimistic or a pessimistic? Extroverted or introverted? Generous or greedy? Religious or atheist? You may be suffering from an incurable disease. Are you afraid of death?

Clifford Brown

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One day you can be a millionaire and the next day a beggar. Life is like a roller coaster, sometimes you’re up and sometimes you are down. We have constant fights with our partner and children that can lead to divorce. We always have problems and we never get our wishes. Nothing is totally satisfactory in this world. And in the meantime, I keep asking myself the same question: Why am I here for?

Max Roach

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The theme goes to a fast tempo. The introduction is made by the rhythm section, and then the saxophone and the trumpet are incorporated. The melody is cheerful and Land performs his solo juggling. Brown follows rivaling him in speed and then enters the piano without wanting to be left behind. Roach also wants to participate in the party and plays as fast as lightning. At the end they re-expose the theme with as much joy as before.

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© EmArcy Records