Donald Byrd – Fuego (1959)(Blue Note USA Pressing)(CDP 746534 2)
1959 | Jazz | EAC RIP | FLAC+CUE+LOG+HQ-Covers(400Dpi) | 248Mb+8Mb
Donald Byrd's FUEGO is one of the many fine hard-bop sets the trumpeter recorded for Blue Note throughout the late 1950s and '60s. Featuring all Byrd originals, from the driving pulse of the opening title track to the gospel-tinged "Amen," which closes out the album, FUEGO has much to recommend it. There are top-notch personnel (Jackie McLean lends his soulful sax work to the proceedings), strong compositions, and a relaxed, open feel throughout. And, of course, Rudy Van Gelder's pristine engineering is the icing on the cake.
"Funky Mama" is all sultry swing, a martial bounce gives way to bluesy groove in "Low Life," and the melancholic, mid-tempo "Lament" keeps things varied. The album as a whole, however, is unified in tone and mood, and it still sounds fresh and vital decades after its inception. And while record enthusiasts may stand by their vinyl, the Blue Note CD reissue - on which the original analog masters have been transferred to digital - improves what is already an exceptional recording.