Donald Byrd

Donald Byrd - Thank You … For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978) {Elektra Masters 75596 2720-2 rel 2002)
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© 1978, 2002 Elektra/Asylum Records / Warner Jazz | 75596 2720-2
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Crossover Jazz / Soul Jazz / Trumpet

A post-Blue Note effort, and Donald's changing things up a bit with his 125th Street Orchestra and Uptown Singers – funking along in a way you'd expect from the longwinded title! Byrd loostens up the smoother backgrounds of his recent Larry Mizell helmed work, and in their place are grooves that have more of a heavy slap bass sound, punchier horns and guitars!

Donald Byrd was at his peak as a straight-ahead hard bop band leader in the early '60s, turning a series of remarkably solid, enjoyable sessions for Blue Note. Royal Flush is no exception to the rule. Recorded in the fall of 1961, Royal Flush finds Byrd once again working with baritionist Pepper Adams, but adding bassist Butch Warren, drummer Billy Higgins, and, most importantly, a young pianist named Herbie Hancock. For the most part, the quintet plays a set of vital hard bop, swinging hard on the bluesy groove "Hush" and laying back on the pop standard "I'm a Fool to Want You." But what's really interesting is when they begin pushing the boundaries of bop. All three of Byrd's original pieces "Jorgie's," "Shangri-La," "6M's" are harmonically complex and have subtly shifting rhythms; all three are successful, but "Shangri-La" is particularly noteworthy.

Jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd’s critically acclaimed career and life have assured the Detroit native his rightful place as one of the most respected musicians of the 20th century. Having successfully transitioned to Jazz Fusion in the 1970s under the guidance of the Mizell brothers, creating four albums on Blue Note records including the highly influential Places and Spaces, Byrd continued to explore the fertile possibilities of Fusion with four more albums recorded for Elektra Records between 1978 and 1982.

Donald Byrd - A New Perspective (1963) {Blue Note RVG rel 1999}
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© 1963, 1999 Blue Note / Capitol Records | 7243 4 99006 2 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet

This unusual set was one of the most successful uses of a gospel choir in a jazz context. Trumpeter Donald Byrd and a septet that includes tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and pianist Herbie Hancock are joined by an eight-voice choir directed by Coleridge Perkinson. The arrangements by Duke Pearson are masterful and one song, "Cristo Redentor," became a bit of a hit. This is a memorable effort that is innovative in its own way, a milestone in Donald Byrd's career.

Trumpeter Donald Byrd's second jazz album during his comeback after years of playing R&B/funk and then totally neglecting his horn finds him starting to regain his former form. The strong supporting cast (altoist Kenny Garrett, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Donald Brown, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Al Foster) sometimes overshadows the leader on this CD but the music overall (modern hard bop) is rewarding. The sextet performs originals by Byrd, Henderson, Donald Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, James Williams and Duke Ellington ("I Got It Bad").

Donald Byrd - Blackjack (1967) {1998 Blue Note SBM Remaster}
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© 1998 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 8 21286 2 5 | 20-bit SBM by Ron McMaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet

One of three Donald Byrd albums from 1967 (the end of his hard bop period), this recording features the trumpeter/leader with altoist Sonny Red, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Billy Higgins. The six tunes (five of which are originals by Byrd or Red) are all quite obscure and to one extent or another quite explorative. One can sense that Byrd wanted to break through the boundaries and rules of hard bop but had not yet decided on his future directions.