Donal Byrd Doug Watkins

Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams - The Complete Blue Note Studio Sessions (2000) {4CD Box Set Mosaic MD4-194 rec 1959-1967}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks0+CUE+LOG -> 1.74 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 597 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 93 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959-67, 2000 Mosaic Records / Blue Note / EMI-Capitol | MD4-194
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet / Saxophone

Centered around the Byrd/Adams Blue Note dates Byrd in Hand, Chant, Royal Flush, The Cat Walk, and Off to the Races, Mosaic's Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Studio Sessions finds the Detroit natives at the top of their game during 1959-1962. Writing and performing some of the most original and tight hard bop around, Byrd and Adams led a variety of combos that featured the likes of Herbie Hancock (his first session), Wynton Kelly, Duke Pearson (who also contributed material), Charlie Rouse, Sam Jones, and Billy Higgins. From distinct covers ("Lover Come Back to Me") to seamlessly complex originals ("Bronze Dance"), Byrd's pure-toned trumpet and Adams' angular baritone unexpectedly make a perfect match. And beyond a wealth of sides that prove the point, the collection also features – in typically thorough and classy Mosaic fashion – some stunning session photos by Blue Note lensman Francis Wolff and an extensive essay by Bob Blumenthal. A hard bop experience of the highest order.

Donald Byrd - Donald Byrd with Strings (1959) {Phoenix Records 131583 rel 2013}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 363 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 166 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 21 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 2013 Phoenix Records |131583
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Trumpet

This release presents the complete session pianist and composer Clare Fischer arranged for trumpeter Donald Byrd. It features Byrd, Fischer himself on piano, and a string and wind section. This amazing date marks the first time Fischer contributed all of the arrangements for a session. However, its release was postponed many years. As a bonus, we have added the complete LP Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (Transition LP-17), which showcases the trumpeter in a quartet format.

Donald Byrd - Chant (1961) {Blue Note–EMI Music Japan rel 2014}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Official Digital Download (qobuz.com) -> 313 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 108 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1961, 2014 Blue Note / EMI Music Japan
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet

Not released until 1979, this excellent quintet session features the always formidable team of trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritonist Pepper Adams. The accompanying rhythm section includes pianist Herbie Hancock shortly before he joined Miles Davis. The repertoire consists of six likable tunes including an uptempo "I'm an Old Cowhand," "That's All," "Sophisticated Lady," two Byrd originals and Duke Pearson's "Chant." This is superior hard bop from the early '60s.

At 24 years old, Donald Byrd was already among the greatest trumpeters alive at that time. Alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce, who wrote the charts for everything heard on this disc aside from "I Remember Clifford," was an exceptionally talented arranger as well as a gifted composer. Unlike the rest of the Byrd/Gryce recordings from 1957, these have extra horns: Benny Powell's trombone, Julius Watkins' French horn, Don Butterfield's tuba, and Sahib Shihab's baritone sax. The rhythm section players were exceptionally solid: pianists Tommy Flanagan, Wade Legge; bassist Wendell Marshall; and master percussionist Art Taylor. With some of the best arrangements heard in jazz and excellent solos by Gryce, Byrd, and Flanagan, Jazz Lab makes for an excellent introduction to the hard bop catalog.