Jaki Byard

Jaki Byard - Solo/Strings (2000) {Prestige PRCD-24246-2 rec 1968-1969}
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© 1968-69, 2000 Prestige Records / Fantasy | PRCD-24246-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

Few jazz pianists could honestly claim to be more eclectic than the late Jaki Byard. Depending on the mood he was in, the Bostonian could acknowledge anyone from Dave Brubeck to James P. Johnson to Cecil Taylor. Byard wasn't afraid to take chances, and his open-mindedness served him well. The pianist's eclectic nature is impossible to miss on Solo/Strings, which is the 2000 reissue of his Prestige dates Jaki Byard with Strings (1968) and Solo Piano (1969) on a single 78-minute CD (minus, unfortunately, "Hello, Young Lovers" from Solo Piano). While Solo Piano is exactly that – an album of unaccompanied solo piano – Jaki Byard With Strings is somewhat misleading.

Jaki Byard - Here's Jaki (1961) {Prestige–New Jazz OJCCD-1874-2 rel 1995}
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© 1961, 1995 Prestige-New Jazz Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1874-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Piano

With 24-year-old, metro Detroit bassist Ron Carter and fellow Bostonian, veteran drummer Roy Haynes, pianist Byard has formed a partnership on this recording that effectively grasps modern jazz. This is no standard trio; they're a collective who romps through these seven selections with a surprise or more a minute. It's mainly due to Byard's refusal to sit still. Penning five of these not-so-easy pieces, Byard digs into a 5/4 modal calypso, rippling off minor incursions or stair-step delicate lines for the long jam "Cinco y Quatro."

Jaki Byard - The Jaki Byard Experience (1968) {Prestige OJCCD-1913-2 rel 1998}
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© 1968, 1998 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1913-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Stride / Piano

An amazing (and often forgotten!) quartet session that brings together the enigmatic pianist Jaki Byard and the mind-blowing multi-reed player Roland Kirk! Kirk and Byard had played together previously – most notably on some of Kirk's Mercury recordings – and they fit together perfectly in this mad session of off-kilter jazz that takes off beautifully from the very first note! Rhythm is by the crack team of Alan Dawson on drums and Richard Davis on bass – a pair who can open up creatively when needed, but also return the record to a soulful swing when it's getting too far out.

Jaki Byard - Sunshine of My Soul: Live at the Keystone Korner (1978) {HighNote Records HCD7169 rel 2007}
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© 1978, 2007 HighNote Records, Inc. | HCD 7169
Jazz / Bop / Post Bop / Piano Solo

This High Note Jaki Byard date titled Sunshine of My Soul is not a reissue of the 1967 issue by Prestige. In fact, it was recorded by Todd Barkan in 1978 at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco and produced for release on compact disc by Joe Fields. This is Byard solo, working magic as few other pianists have ever been able to and embodying most of the jazz tradition in his set.

Jaki Byard Quartet with Joe Farrell - The Last From Lennie's (1965) {Prestige PRCD-11029-2 rel 2003}
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© 1965, 2003 Prestige Records / Fantasy | PRCD-11029-2
Jazz / Bop / Piano / Saxophone

There's a good and bad side of releasing old material that's been buried in a record label's vault or someone's attic. If the material's solid, say a live date from an artist's prime, then it's a Godsend. If the material is weak, or repeats earlier releases in a weaker form, it does a disservice to the artist. Luckily for fans of pianist Jaki Byard, the quartet recordings on Last From Lennie's are bursting with creative energy. Taped on April 14, 1965, Byard is joined by saxophonist Joe Farrell, bassist George Tucker, and drummer Alan Dawson for an adventurous live set.

Except for a ballad medley, this CD reissues all of the music from two earlier LPs featuring pianist Jaki Byard, Joe Farrell (who plays tenor, soprano, flute, and even some drums), bassist George Tucker, and drummer Alan Dawson (doubling on vibes). The set, recorded live at Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike in Massachusetts, is a superior outing for all of the players. Farrell shows just how strong a player he was while Byard's versatility (and full knowledge of all jazz piano styles) keeps the proceedings continually unpredictable.

Jaki Byard - Family Man (1978) {32 Jazz 32171 rel 1999}
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© 1978, 1999 32 Jazz | 32171
Jazz / Bop / Post Bop / Piano

Pianist Jaki Byard (who also plays a bit of tenor and alto) uses a trio/quartet on this Muse album consisting of bassist Major Holley (switching to tuba on one tune), drummer J.R. Mitchell (on the 17½-minute five-part "Family Suite") and drummer-percussionist Warren Smith. In addition to a two-song medley of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Byard performs the episodic "Family Suite," this early theme "Just Rollin' Along," the eccentric "L.H. Gatewalk Rag" and the thoughtful "Ballad for Louise." A typically stimulating and eclectic program of music by Jaki Byard.

Jaki Byard - Freedom Together! (1966) {Prestige OJCCD-1898-2 rel 1997}
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© 1966, 1997 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1898-2
Jazz / Bop / Post Bop / Piano

Pianist Jaki Byard's best recordings were done for Prestige in the 1960s, and fortunately, they have been gradually seeing reissue on CD in the Original Jazz Classics series. This is a particularly unusual and colorful set, for Byard not only plays piano, but makes appearances on celeste, electric piano, vibes, drums and tenor sax. His tenor playing (best heard on "Just You, Just Me") is particularly excellent, while his piano solos show his usual diversity, hinting at 50 years of jazz styles.