Donald Byrd – Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux (Live) (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Donald Byrd – Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux (Live) (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 45:24 minutes | 944 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

The choice to re-invent your art can make for daunting leaps. In the early ’70s trumpeter Donald Byrd teamed with producers Larry and Fonce Mizell and fully embraced R&B funk fusion, a decision met with the same derisive howls from jazz fans that Miles Davis endured a few years earlier when he, too, went electric and funky. Fifty years later, it’s obvious that Byrd’s jazz cred was not wasted on this search for a wider audience; this period is far more influential as a vital part of hip-hop than anything from his years as bopper. Byrd, whose 1973 album Black Byrd was Blue Note’s best-seller for a time, joined other funky labelmates like vibes player Bobby Hutcherson, organist Ronnie Foster and flautist Bobbi Humphrey to showcase at the Montreaux Jazz Festival later that year. Of all the sets recorded for live albums, only Byrd’s remained unreleased until now. Well-played and crackling with energy, it’s a wonderful testament to Byrd’s enthusiasm for the fresh direction captured just as he and his band, including brothers Larry and Fonce Mizell, found their chops as a groove outfit. (Four other members of his backing band—saxophonist Allan Barnes, drummer Keith Killgo, guitarist Barney Perry and electric pianist Kevin Toney—were actually students of Byrd’s at Howard University who would go on to form their own soul jazz unit, The Blackbyrds.) Fortunately the 16-track, 2″ tapes, recorded by engineer Chris Penycote and mixed recently by Qmillion were in good condition, so the sound here is sharp and full-bodied, particularly for a half-century-old live recording. Driven by a resonant, low-synth pattern, the hit “Black Byrd” (which features chanted vocals by Larry Mizel) provides a steady bed of funk rhythms over which Byrd and the other horns solo. The longest track, “Kwame,” which along with “The East” and “Poco-Mania” were unrecorded Byrd originals, opens with single note synthesizer wails, sleigh bells and a gong before settling into the kind of light, irresistible keyboard and brass-driven rhythm that makes Byrd’s groove-oriented albums so attractive. Starting with trumpet blasts and electric guitar scratching, “Poco-Mania” is almost comically fast; its pace nearly overwhelms everyone in the band numerous times but Byrd’s rapid-fire solos show his technique undiminished. A showstopper for soul jazz fans, this long buried Byrd set is exhilarating from the first note!

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – A New Perspective (1963/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Donald Byrd – A New Perspective (1963/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 40:50 minutes | 1,67 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

Originally released as Blue Note BLP 4124 (mono) and BST 84124 (stereo)

“In preparing these hi def remasters, we were very conscientious about maintaining the feel of the original releases while adding a previously unattainable transparency and depth. It now sounds like you’ve set up your chaise lounge right in the middle of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio!” – Blue Note President, Don Was.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 43:19 minutes | 1,47 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

“Black Byrd” is the pivotal 1973 masterpiece by jazz legend Donald Byrd. This monumental album presented Byrd’s acclaimed brand of fusion. Black Byrd is one of Blue Note’s bestselling albums of all time and highlights Byrd’s undeniable knack for sound. It reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums and #2 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums. It features the thrilling self-titled single, which reached the Top Twenty on Billboard’s Top R&B Singles.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Street Lady (1973) [Reissue 2020] MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Donald Byrd – Street Lady (1973) [Reissue 2020]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 45:13 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,02 GB
or DSD64 2.0 Stereo (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,67 GB
or FLAC 2.0 (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | 42:22 m | F/R Covers | 955 MB
Features Stereo and Quadrophonic Surround Sound | Vocalion # CDSML 8576

A landmark album by Donald Byrd – the first one where he really started to click with jazz-funk producer Larry Mizell! Mizell and Byrd had worked together previously on the Black Byrd album – a soaring bit of futuristic jazz funk that took Byrd’s career to a whole new level – but this album’s the one where they really began to make the formula cook, blending together tight funky rhythms, spacey keyboards, soulful vocals, and some of Donald’s best solo work of the 70s! The whole thing’s a masterpiece, and all tracks sparkle – including “Lansana’s Priestess”, “Witch Hunt”, and “Street Lady”, one of the funkiest tracks ever on Blue Note. A haunting record with a beautiful spacey groove, and one of the best-ever albums on Blue Note!

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973) [Reissue 2019] MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973) [Reissue 2019]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 43:07 minutes | Front, Scans NOT included | 1,93 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front, Scans NOT included | 963 MB
Features Stereo and Quadrophonic Surround Sound | Vocalion # CDSML 8570

A landmark album – Donald Byrd’s first session with producer Larry Mizell, the man who went onto forever change the face of jazz funk! After rumbling around for a few years attempting electric styles that really didn’t fit his mode, Donald wisely hooked up with Larry, and hit a groove here that would carry him for many many years. The album’s a masterpiece of soul – heavy production with great keyboards, creating a nice set of grooves that let Byrd solo over the top, sounding better than he had in years! Great all the way through, and with tracks that include “Flight Time”, “Sky High”, “Black Byrd”, “Slop Jar Blues”, “Mr Thomas”, and the prophetically-titled “Where Are We Going?”.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams – Motor City Scene (Remastered 2013) (1961/2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams – Motor City Scene (Remastered 2013) (1961/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 42:45 minutes | 921 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Bethlehem Records

The title says it all: the six young jazz musicians featured here represented the best of the best from the Detroit area, although all were based in New York City by the time this was recorded in 1960. Saxophonist Pepper Adams and trumpeter Donald Byrd coaxed great performances and memorable solos from the band, most notably from guitarist Kenny Burrell and bassist Paul Chambers.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – The Cat Walk (1962/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Donald Byrd – The Cat Walk (1962/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 40:29 minutes | 429 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Music Manager

The Cat Walk is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label in 1962 as BLP 4075

The Allmusic review by Steve Leggett awarded the album 4 stars and stated “Trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams worked together on several recordings between 1958 and 1961, and The Cat Walk is among the best… Byrd’s playing throughout is typically sleek and lyrical, and Adams’ sturdy, husky baritone sound is the perfect counterbalance, making The Cat Walk an essential Byrd purchase”.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Royal Flush (1962/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Donald Byrd – Royal Flush (1962/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 40:47 minutes | 369 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Music Manager

Royal Flush is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd featuring Byrd with Pepper Adams, Herbie Hancock, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4101. The album is notable for being pianist Herbie Hancock’s first Blue Note session to be released.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – I’m Tryin’ To Get Home (1965/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Donald Byrd – I’m Tryin’ To Get Home (1965/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 37:16 minutes | 1,43 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

I’m Tryin’ to Get Home is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd featuring performances by Byrd with a large brass section and vocalists recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label in 1965 as BLP 4188.
A follow-up to trumpeter Donald Byrd’s hit A New Perspective, this LP also features an eight-voice choir conducted by Coleridge Perkinson and arrangements by Duke Pearson and the leader. The vocalists have a larger role than in the earlier date and Byrd’s quintet (with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and pianist Herbie Hancock) is augmented by organist Freddie Roach, guitarist Grant Green and a dozen brass players. But despite some strong moments, the date (which resulted in no real hits) does not quite reach the heights of A New Perspective although it has plenty of interesting moments. –Scott Yanow

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Fuego (1959/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Donald Byrd – Fuego (1959/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 41:09 minutes | 803 MB | Genre: Lounge
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Ancien Prodige

Fuego is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded in 1959 and released on the Blue Note label in 1960 as BLP 4026, featuring Byrd with Jackie McLean, Duke Pearson, Doug Watkins and Lex Humphries.

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Chant (1979/2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Donald Byrd – Chant (1979/2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 45:24 minutes | 896 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

Trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams had a formidable partnership throughout the early 1960s, making a series of highly regarded hard bop albums. Yet somehow this masterful quintet session from April 1961 (which also features Herbie Hancock, sounding exceptionally fine on his very first Blue Note recording session) remained unreleased for nearly 20 years. Of particular note are Herbie’s playing on “Great God” and the sophisticated excellence the entire ensemble brings to Duke Pearson’s masterpiece composition “Chant.”

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Byrd In Paris (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Donald Byrd – Byrd In Paris (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 48:41 minutes | 868 MB | Genre: Jazz contemporain
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

Donald Byrd’s passing has just been confirmed. The son of a Detroit preacher, the legendary trumpeter was no more than 5-6 years older than me, a 16-year-old high-school student (and, like Donald, a PK) permitted by his parents to explore a jazz club for the first time. Paris presented little threat to a “foreign” visitor-other than the familiar Parisian “temptations” and those “wild and crazy” French drivers (I learned to be especially careful while owners of the “Deux Cheaveaux”-the sardine-can, bargain-basement, basic Citroens-were running the streets-though much later I came to question who was in greater danger: the pedestrian or the driver. It was only after I leased one of these “toy cars” (put out of its misery by Citroen in the early ’90s) and took it on a drive from Paris to Limoges that I got over my love affair with it: upon meeting a truck on the 2-way highway, the wind draft created by the velocity of our two vehicles was sufficient to blow the canvas roof off the car! -literally!) But back to the night when I first heard and met Donald Byrd, who was blowing off the roof (figuratively) of the Left Bank Club known as “Au Chat qui Peche.”

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Byrd In Flight (1960/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Donald Byrd – Byrd In Flight (1960/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 39:45 minutes | 1,71 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

By the time of this fourth Blue Note album by trumpeter Donald Byrd, it became clear that his playing was becoming stronger with the passing of time. This album features separate studio sessions from January and July of 1960 with constants Duke Pearson on piano and drummer Lex Humphries. Bassists Doug Watkins and Reggie Workman split duties six tracks to three, as do tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, making for some interesting sonic combinations, although Byrd is the dominant voice. Several of these selections are penned by Byrd, but it is pianist Pearson who contributes four of the most potent compositions on Byrd in Flight, supplying the wings for these quintet recordings to take off with. Of the Pearson originals, “Gate City,” with Mobley, is an attractive soul shuffle with a basic tandem line played one time through; “Bo,” with Byrd and McLean, is a singing, easy blues; and “My Girl Shirl” is an all-Byrd-led bopper with McLean in late and a brief Latin break. Byrd’s “Ghana,” dedicated to that country’s liberation, is not so much Afrocentric as it is a hip modal Afro-Cuban to hard bop streaker in an assertive tone. “Lex” is typical hard bop fare, with the tenor saxophonist and trumpeter going to town, while a supreme version of the ballad standard “Little Boy Blue” has the ever present Pearson and Byrd in slow musical repast about lost opportunities, primed by the sultry bass playing of Workman. Three extra tracks are included on the CD with Watkins and Mobley, including another Pearson original, “Child’s Play,” which moves from simple to rambling; the ballad of Byrd’s “Carol,” where Mobley’s hesitant and heart-stopping tenor plays the part to the hilt; and the catwalk blues “Soulful Kiddy” in a puckish (as described by liner note author Nat Hentoff), sly, and coy manner. Given the split-decision nature of the two bands, and because it’s nigh impossible to pick a favorite between the soulful Mobley and the more shrill McLean, listeners will have to decide if they can happily live with both versions of the group on one CD, or hear more via other recordings apart from this seminal recording Donald Byrd hath wrought. Either way, the lover of hard bop to post-bop wins in the end. –Michael G. Nastos

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Blackjack (1967/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Donald Byrd – Blackjack (1967/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 35:53 minutes | 1,37 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

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. The music does swing and highlights include “West of the Pecos” and “Beale Street”; Byrd and Red in particular are in excellent form throughout the date. –Scott Yanow

(more…)

Read more

Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Donald Byrd – Black Byrd (1973/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 43:19 minutes | 1,47 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records

Black Byrd is the pivotal 1973 masterpiece by jazz legend Donald Byrd. This monumental album presented Byrd’s acclaimed brand of fusion. Black Byrd is one of Blue Note’s bestselling albums of all time and highlights Byrd’s undeniable knack for sound. It reached #1 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums and #2 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums. It features the thrilling self-titled single, which reached the Top Twenty on Billboard’s Top R&B Singles.

(more…)

Read more
%d bloggers like this: