Purists howled with indignation when Donald Byrd released Black Byrd, a full-fledged foray into R&B that erupted into a popular phenomenon. Byrd was branded a sellout and a traitor to his hard bop credentials, especially after Black Byrd became the biggest-selling album in Blue Note history. What the elitists missed, though, was that Black Byrd was the moment when Byrd's brand of fusion finally stepped out from under the shadow of his chief influence, Miles Davis, and found a distinctive voice of its own. Never before had a jazz musician embraced the celebratory sound and style of contemporary funk as fully as Byrd did here -- not even Davis, whose dark, chaotic jungle-funk stood in sharp contrast to the bright, breezy, danceable music on Black Byrd. Byrd gives free rein to producer/arranger/composer Larry Mizell, who crafts a series of tightly focused, melodic pieces often indebted to the lengthier orchestrations of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. They're built on the most straightforward funk rhythms Byrd had yet tackled, and if the structures aren't as loose or complex as his earlier fusion material, they make up for it with a funky sense of groove that's damn near irresistible. Byrd's solos are mostly melodic and in-the-pocket, but that allows the funk to take center stage. Sure, maybe the electric piano, sound effects, and Roger Glenn's ubiquitous flute date the music somewhat, but that's really part of its charm. Black Byrd was state-of-the-art for its time, and it set a new standard for all future jazz/R&B/funk fusions -- of which there were many. Byrd would continue to refine this sound on equally essential albums like Street Lady and the fantastic Places and Spaces, but Black Byrd stands as his groundbreaking signature statement.
Tracks:
01 - Flight Time (08:27)
02 - Black Byrd (08:00)
03 - Love's So Far Away (06:00)
04 - Mr. Thomas (05:15)
05 - Sky High (05:59)
06 - Slop Jar Blues (06:00)
07 - Where Are We Going? (04:40)
Line-up:
Allan Curtis Barnes - flute, oboe, saxophone
Donald Byrd - trumpet, flugelhorn, electric trumpet, vocals
Wilton Felder - electric bass
Roger Glenn - flute, saxophone
Bobbye Hall - percussion
Joe Hill - bass
Perk Jacobs - percussion
Keith Killgo - drums
Harvey Mason, Sr. - drums
Fonce Mizell - trumpet, vocals
Larry Mizell - guitar, vocals
Dean Parks - guitar
Freddie Perren - electric piano, synthesizer, vocals
Barney Perry - guitar
Bobbye Porter - percussion
Chuck Rainey - electric bass
Joe Sample - piano, electric piano
Stephanie Spruill - percussion
Kevin Toney - piano
David T. Walker - guitar
David Hassinger - engineer, remixing
Purists howled with indignation when Donald Byrd released Black Byrd, a full-fledged foray into R&B that erupted into a popular phenomenon. Byrd was branded a sellout and a traitor to his hard bop credentials, especially after Black Byrd became the biggest-selling album in Blue Note history. What the elitists missed, though, was that Black Byrd was the moment when Byrd's brand of fusion finally stepped out from under the shadow of his chief influence, Miles Davis, and found a distinctive voice of its own. Never before had a jazz musician embraced the celebratory sound and style of contemporary funk as fully as Byrd did here -- not even Davis, whose dark, chaotic jungle-funk stood in sharp contrast to the bright, breezy, danceable music on Black Byrd. Byrd gives free rein to producer/arranger/composer Larry Mizell, who crafts a series of tightly focused, melodic pieces often indebted to the lengthier orchestrations of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. They're built on the most straightforward funk rhythms Byrd had yet tackled, and if the structures aren't as loose or complex as his earlier fusion material, they make up for it with a funky sense of groove that's damn near irresistible. Byrd's solos are mostly melodic and in-the-pocket, but that allows the funk to take center stage. Sure, maybe the electric piano, sound effects, and Roger Glenn's ubiquitous flute date the music somewhat, but that's really part of its charm. Black Byrd was state-of-the-art for its time, and it set a new standard for all future jazz/R&B/funk fusions -- of which there were many. Byrd would continue to refine this sound on equally essential albums like Street Lady and the fantastic Places and Spaces, but Black Byrd stands as his groundbreaking signature statement.
Tracks: 01 - Flight Time (08:27) 02 - Black Byrd (08:00) 03 - Love's So Far Away (06:00) 04 - Mr. Thomas (05:15) 05 - Sky High (05:59) 06 - Slop Jar Blues (06:00) 07 - Where Are We Going? (04:40)
Line-up: Donald Byrd - trumpet, flugelhorn, electric trumpet, vocals Allen Curtis Barnes - flute, oboe, saxophone Roger Glenn - saxophone, flute Fonce Mizell - trumpet, vocals Larry Mizell - vocals Kevin Toney - piano Freddie Perren - piano, synthesizer, vocals Dean Parks - guitar David T. Walker - guitar Barney Perry - guitar Joe Sample - piano, electric piano Wilton Felder - bass Joe Hill - bass Harvey Mason - drums Sr, Keith Killgo - drums Bobbye Hall Porter - percussion Perk Jacobs - percussion Stephanie Spruill - percussion
This unusual set (reissued on CD by Blue Note) was one of the most successful uses of a gospel choir in a jazz context. Trumpeter Donald Byrd and a septet that also 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.
Ambitious, atonal, challenging -- all are accurate descriptions of Dimensions and Extensions, Sam Rivers' fourth album for Blue Note. Rivers remains grounded in hard bop structure, working with a sextet featuring Donald Byrd (trumpet), James Spaulding (alto saxophone, flute), Julian Priester (trombone), Cecil McBee (bass), and Steve Ellington (drums), but he explodes the boundaries of the form with difficult, dissonant compositions. With his unique, mercurial tone and edgy solos, he keeps pushing the sextet in different directions. It's intense, cerebral music, but since it has distinct themes and strong rhythms, the forays into free jazz, dissonant harmonies, and unpredictable tonal textures are actually quite accessible. Rivers simply burns on each track, whether playing tenor, soprano, or flute. Byrd doesn't display the wild imagination of Rivers, yet he keeps the pace with alternately languid and biting solos. Similarly, each of the remaining musicians makes a lasting impression with his individual time in the spotlight. With music as risky at this, it's forgivable that it occasionally meanders (especially on the slower numbers) but, overall, Dimensions and Extensions offers more proof that Sam Rivers was one of the early giants of the avant-garde.
Beginning with a crack of thunder, like it was made to trail Gary Bartz's "Mother Nature" (actually recorded at a slightly later date), Stepping into Tomorrow contains almost all of the Mizell trademarks within its title track's first 30 seconds: a soft and easy (yet still funky) electric-bass-and-drums foundation, silken rhythm guitar, organ and piano gently bouncing off one another, light synthesizer shading, and coed group vocals to ensure true liftoff. It's only one in a line of many magnetic '70s sessions led by Fonce and Larry Mizell, and it differs from their two previous Donald Byrd dates -- the polarizing and groundbreaking Black Byrd and the deceptively excellent Street Lady -- by not featuring any of Roger Glenn's flute, and by focusing on heavily melodic and laid-back arrangements. Even the speedy "You Are the World," by some distance the most energetic song, seems more suited for relaxing in a hammock than shooting down a freeway. Many of the musicians present on the previous Byrd-Mizell meetings are here, including drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Chuck Rainey, keyboardist Jerry Peters, and guitarist David T. Walker. As ever, those who pined for the approach of Byrd's '60s dates would tune out a sublime set of material, but maybe some of those who sniffed at the straightforward nature of some of the rhythms and riffing were won over by the supreme layering of the many components (the way in which "Think Twice" lurches forward, peels back, and gathers steam is nothing short of heavenly), not to mention some deeply evocative playing from Byrd himself.
by Andy Kellman at All Music Guide. Styles: Funk Crossover Jazz
Tracks: 01 Stepping into Tomorrow 02 Design a Nation 03 We're Together 04 Think Twice 05 Makin'it 06 Rock & Roll Again 07 You Are the World 08 I Love the Girl Line-up: Donald Byrd - trumpet / flugelhorn / vocals Gary Bartz - clarinet / alto and soprano saxophone Mayuto Correa - conga Harvey Mason - drums Fonce Mizell - clarinet / trumpet / vocals (background) Larry Mizell - synthesizer / Fender Rhodes / vocals (background) Jerry Peters - organ / piano Chuck Rainey - bass John Rowin - guitar Roger Sainte - percussion Stephanie Spruill - percussion / vocals (background) David T. Walker - guitar James Carter - whistle (human) Freddie Perren - vocals (background) Margie Evans - vocals (backgroud) Kay Haith - vocals (backgroud)
