Bright Moments Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=elX75TKEbm0 Edited February 12, 2013 by Bright Moments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon8 Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Listening to a lot of Byrd albums these days, I find that, if he wasn't a "spectacular" trumpeter (which is fine by me), he was a superior ballad player: "Little Boy Blue" (Byrd in Flight), "Stardust" (Motor City Scene), "I'm A Fool To Want You" (Royal Flush) and "I Will Wait for You" (Creeper) are all exceptionally well interpreted by Byrd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Obit in today's Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9865938/Donald-Byrd.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 JazzWax on Byrd's passing: http://www.jazzwax.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 (edited) http://www.bluenote....eter-dies-at-8 finally, maybe now they'll reissue more. Edited February 13, 2013 by danasgoodstuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillF Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Obituary by John Fordham from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/12/donald-byrd?INTCMP=SRCH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonnymax Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 http://www.bluenote....eter-dies-at-8 finally, maybe now they'll reissue more. Are you thinking of specific titles that have never been reissued? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 I can't think of any 60's or 70's Byrd BN that hasn't been released on CD. But I'm sure there are rejected sessions and the July 5th, 1973 Montreux performance from the same Cookin with Blue Note night that produced the Hutcherson, Foster, Humphrey and Marlena Shaw LP's. That date would be of little interest to those of us here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Been spinning Royal Flush a lot Does it get any better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 http://www.bluenote....eter-dies-at-8 finally, maybe now they'll reissue more. Are you thinking of specific titles that have never been reissued? No, I was thinking 'bout how little is currently available, but I see I was (at least partially) mistaken - I find their revamped website confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I am reminded of a rather poor book I read many years ago by the British critic Richard Cook, titled 'Blue Note Records'. I remember that he really cuts Byrd to pieces and more or less calls him a copycat. Byrd certainly had his influences -- who does not? -- but he was not a copycat. One recognized his voice as his from the first. That Blue Note book was a piece of trash in my opinion. Picked up a copy at the library the other day after this mention. Skimming through, my favorite gem so far is Cook's saying that Curtis Fuller's solo on the title track of "Blue Train" is "dyspeptic." As someone used to say, "word salad." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I notice that John Fordham's obit: http://www.guardian..../12/donald-byrd says that Byrd "honed his craft as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers." Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Messengers still a co-operative group, not one led by Blakey, when Byrd recorded what IIRC was his only album with them, the great Columbia date with "Nica's Dream." And then when Horace went off on his own, didn't Byrd and Mobley go with him, with Bill Hardman and Johnny Griffin (or did Ira Sullivan precede Hardman for a time?) then becoming the frontline in the first edition of the Messengers with Blakey as the sole leader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I am reminded of a rather poor book I read many years ago by the British critic Richard Cook, titled 'Blue Note Records'. I remember that he really cuts Byrd to pieces and more or less calls him a copycat. Byrd certainly had his influences -- who does not? -- but he was not a copycat. One recognized his voice as his from the first. That Blue Note book was a piece of trash in my opinion. Picked up a copy at the library the other day after this mention. Skimming through, my favorite gem so far is Cook's saying that Curtis Fuller's solo on the title track of "Blue Train" is "dyspeptic." As someone used to say, "word salad." That may be the most stone-eared description I've ever seen of practically any piece of music. Dyspeptic? Curtis' solo bursts with exuberance. It's an amazing, swinging, bluesy ride, strutting with confidence, lickety-split technique and soulful expression -- one of the great trombone solos of the era and a definitive example of his style that shows you why he zoomed to the front of the line when he arrived in NY. I'm dissecting that solo in some detail in my piece about Curtis for my book. In fact, it's the lede. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I notice that John Fordham's obit: http://www.guardian..../12/donald-byrd says that Byrd "honed his craft as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers." Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Messengers still a co-operative group, not one led by Blakey, when Byrd recorded what IIRC was his only album with them, the great Columbia date with "Nica's Dream." And then when Horace went off on his own, didn't Byrd and Mobley go with him, with Bill Hardman and Johnny Griffin (or did Ira Sullivan precede Hardman for a time?) then becoming the frontline in the first edition of the Messengers with Blakey as the sole leader? I may be wrong but my understanding was that after the BN recording, Horace took the front line and Blakey took the name and control of the band. If Silver was on the date with Byrd in the front line then maybe it was still a co-operative at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I am reminded of a rather poor book I read many years ago by the British critic Richard Cook, titled 'Blue Note Records'. I remember that he really cuts Byrd to pieces and more or less calls him a copycat. Byrd certainly had his influences -- who does not? -- but he was not a copycat. One recognized his voice as his from the first. That Blue Note book was a piece of trash in my opinion. Picked up a copy at the library the other day after this mention. Skimming through, my favorite gem so far is Cook's saying that Curtis Fuller's solo on the title track of "Blue Train" is "dyspeptic." As someone used to say, "word salad." That may be the most stone-eared description I've ever seen of practically any piece of music. Dyspeptic? Curtis' solo bursts with exuberance. It's an amazing, swinging, bluesy ride, strutting with confidence, lickety-split technique and soulful expression -- one of the great trombone solos of the era and a definitive example of his style that shows you why he zoomed to the front of the line when he arrived in NY. I'm dissecting that solo in some detail in my piece about Curtis for my book. In fact, it's the lede. Absolutely -- always loved that solo myself. And given what Coltrane already has played, to come up with a solo of that quality... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted February 14, 2013 Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 http://jazztimes.com/articles/73865-bob-belden-remembers-donald-byrd A brief remembrance by Bob Belden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 One of my favorite Donald Byrd tracks...Eldorado from Blackjack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 http://jazztimes.com...ers-donald-byrd A brief remembrance by Bob Belden. Interesting. Especially the bit about 'paying off' the amount due for the 1970s recordings only decades later. Jeez ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 One of my favorite Donald Byrd tracks...Eldorado from Blackjack. Me too! I really love Sonny Red's solo on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted February 22, 2013 Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 Blackjack is an excellent album. Grabbed a super-clean original stereo in Austin for $9.99 - needless to say I was pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted February 22, 2013 Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 Listening to a lot of Byrd albums these days, I find that, if he wasn't a "spectacular" trumpeter (which is fine by me), he was a superior ballad player: "Little Boy Blue" (Byrd in Flight), "Stardust" (Motor City Scene), "I'm A Fool To Want You" (Royal Flush) and "I Will Wait for You" (Creeper) are all exceptionally well interpreted by Byrd. He was also a truly fine blues player. I never had any problem really enjoying Donald Byrd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted February 22, 2013 Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 I always liked DOnald Byrd, rather than loved him. I love his BN albums from 'Mustang' to 'Electric Byrd' but usually it's for the other players or Duke Pearson's arrangements (particularly on 'Electric Byrd) that really make the impact on me. What I really dug about him was that he went into law to help fellow musicians who were being screwed. RIP to a good guy. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted February 22, 2013 Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 I find myself listening to and liking Byrd much more than Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard, to name just two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stryker Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 http://www.bluenote.com/spotlight/donald-byrd-live-at-montreux-july-5-1973 Blue Note is streaming (for free) the July 1973 Montreux recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted February 25, 2013 Report Share Posted February 25, 2013 Yeah, I see that. Listened to part of the first track. To be fair, it is better than the Mizzell studio stuff, are they planning to issue this on CD hence the preview? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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