Don Byas

One of the greatest of all tenor players, Don Byas' decision to move permanently to Europe in 1946 resulted in him being vastly underrated in jazz history books. His knowledge of chords rivalled Coleman Hawkins, and, due to their similarity in tones, Byas can be considered an extension of the elder tenor. He played with many top swing bands, including those of Lionel Hampton (1935), Buck Clayton (1936), Don Redman, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk (1939-1940), and most importantly Count Basie (1941-1943). An advanced swing stylist, Byas' playing looked toward bop. He jammed at Minton's Playhouse in the early '40s, appeared on 52nd Street with Dizzy Gillespie, and performed a pair of stunning duets with bassist Slam Stewart at a 1944 Town Hall concert…

Don Byas - Amoureusement vôtre… (1962) {EmArcy–Universal 530 214-9 rel 2007}
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© 1962, 2007 Polydor / EmArcy / Universal Music France | 530 214-9
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

One of the greatest of all tenor players, Don Byas' decision to move permanently to Europe in 1946 resulted in him being vastly underrated in jazz history books. His knowledge of chords rivalled Coleman Hawkins, and, due to their similarity in tones, Byas can be considered an extension of the elder tenor. He played with many top swing bands, including those of Lionel Hampton (1935), Buck Clayton (1936), Don Redman, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk (1939-1940), and most importantly Count Basie (1941-1943). An advanced swing stylist, Byas' playing looked toward bop.

Don Byas - Midnight at Minton's, Original 1941 Recording (1999) {HighNote HCD7044} (featuring Thelonious Monk & Kenny Clarke}
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© 1941, 1999 HighNote Records | HCD 7044
Jazz / Bop / Swing / Bebop / Tenor Saxophone

Tenor saxophone legend Don Byas is heard with great clarity on this, a relative jam session, as is vocalist Helen Humes (the first two cuts) and ostensible leader/trumpeter Joe Guy, whose high energy solos are very good in spots. Less audible in the mix are pianist Thelonious Monk and drummer Kenny Clarke, working in this band while bebop was fermenting. These two would lead the bop charge later in the '40s at Minton's Playhouse, the bebop concubine/jazz club in N.Y.C. The music is pretty much swing material, with Humes tossing in a ballad ("Stardust") and a bluesy number ("Exactly Like You") while the instrumental "Indiana" is all fired up, and they typically chill down "Body & Soul."

Don Byas - Autumn Leaves (1965) {Ronnie Scott's Jazz House JHAS613 rel 1998}
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© 1965, 1998 Ronnie Scott's Jazz House | JHAS 613
Jazz / Bebop / Bop / Saxophone

This is a great snapshot of Byas at Ronnie Scott's. One of the great benefits of soloists coming to Ronnie's was that the house band was so brilliant. Stan Tracey was and is just wonderful. You would not think they had not been playing together for years. The choice of material is irrelevant in some ways they just get into the music and play, wonderful stuff. Byas had been living and working in France for many years when he came to London and he died just a few years after this recording. Stan Tracey was working himself into the ground, compounded by an all too common drug problem, however, his single-mindedness, when it came to his music, really does shine through in everything he plays, the guy really does live his music.

Don Byas - Walkin' (1963) {Black Lion BLCD760167}
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© 1963 Black Lion / Phonoco | BLCD760167 | CD-R on-demand
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

The second of two CDs taken from the same appearances at the Montmartre in Copenhagen as A Night in Tunisia, this release showcases the masterful (if underrated) tenor Don Byas in a quartet with pianist Ben Axen, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer William Schiopffe. Byas was always a powerful player and he digs into such songs as "There'll Never Be Another You," "Billie's Bounce" and "All the Things You Are," coming up with exciting and consistently inventive ideas. All jazz collections should have at least a couple of Don Byas albums.

On Jan. 3, 1963 producer-writer Joachim Berendt organized a concert in Germany featuring some of the top American jazzmen who were then residing in Europe. Originally released as 13 songs on two LPs, eight of the performances have been reissued on this single CD; left out are five of the seven numbers from Vol. 1 (three with clarinetist Albert Nicholas and one apiece with bluesmen Champion Jack Dupree and Curtis Jones). The CD contains a pair of fine features for tenor saxophonist Don Byas (including a lengthy workout on "All the Things You Are"), ballad showcases for trumpeter Idrees Sulieman ("I Can't Get Started") and pianist Bud Powell ("'Round Midnight"), two numbers by a trio consisting of guitarist Jimmy Gourley, organist Lou Bennett and drummer Kenny Clarke, and a pair of Bill Smith originals featuring the clarinetist in a quintet with altoist Herb Geller and guitarist Gourley. A fine bop-oriented set of music by a variety of mostly underrated players.

Bud Powell & Don Byas - A Tribute To Cannonball (1961) {Columbia–Legacy ‎CK65186 rel 1997}
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© 1961, 1997 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | ‎CK 65186
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone / Piano

A gem of a session from the European expatriot scene of the postwar years – not really a tribute to Cannonball Adderley, but a rare meeting of Bud Powell and Don Byas in the studio, produced by Cannonball in Paris in 1961! The record has a tremendous amount of fire and focus – especially on the part of Powell, who could sometimes falter in a European setting – and although Byas' horn might seem a contrasting choice for Bud, he really burns with a lot of energy here – arcing, soaring, and turning with lines that show that his talents hadn't dimmed at all out of the American limelight. As always with his few productions from the time, Cannonball shows a great deal of sensitivity and patience with the players – probably a key factor of the success of the set. Also noteworthy is the rest of the group – which includes Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, Pierre Michelot on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums.

Don Byas - A Night In Tunisia (1963} {Black Lion BLCD760136 rel 1989}
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© 1963, 1989 Black Lion / Phonoco | BLCD760136
Jazz / Bop / Saxophone

The first of two CDs documenting two nights at the Montmartre in Copenhagen, this release features the great tenor Don Byas in a quartet with pianist Bent Axen, bassist Niels Pederson (still a teenager) and drummer William Schiopffe. Alternating romps with ballads, Byas tears into such songs as "I'll Remember april," "Anthropology" and "A Night in Tunisia." He shows that, despite being overseas since 1946, he had lost nothing of his power and inventiveness. This release (along with Walkin') is easily recommended, among the best recordings from Byas' European years.

In the 1930s and '40s, Milt Gabler's Commodore label filled a void in the jazz record business with the release of many small combo recordings featuring the likes of Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, Teddy Wilson, and Don Byas. Even before the rise of bebop made the combo format a preferred studio vehicle, many jazz luminaries enjoyed the informality of small outfits; it generally beat the big band environment as a place to really stretch out in, and Commodore was willing to accommodate those soloists who were ripe to head up a session. One of a handful of the label's fine discs featuring a pair of star soloists, this Ben Webster and Don Byas entry in the Giants of the Tenor Sax series spotlights the horn players on prime mid-'40s dates…