Donald Byrd: Four Classic Albums Byrd's Word/Byrd's Eye View/All Night Long/Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Frank Foster (reeds)
Joe Gordon (t)
Doug Watkins (b)
Hank Jones (p)
Mal Waldron (p)
Ray Santisi (p)
Donald Byrd (t, fllin, v)
Jerome Richardson (reeds)
Kenny Clarke (d)
Paul Chambers (b)
Jim Zitano (d)
Kenny Burrell (g)
Art Taylor (d)
Horace Silver (p)
Hank Mobley (ts)
Art Blakey (d)

Label:

Avid

October/2014

Catalogue Number:

AMCD 1133

RecordDate:

29 September and 2 December 1955; 7 May and 28 December 1956

These albums derive from when, very early in his career, Donald Byrd was fast becoming the most recorded jazzman ever. Rumours suggested that rarely a day went by when he wasn't engaged in jobbing sessions for those East Coast labels mainly recording out of Rudy Van Gelder's studio. In quick succession, Byrd replaced Clifford Brown with The Jazz Messengers (Byrd's Eye View was the Messengers plus Joe Gordon.) plus stints with the quintets of George Wallington and Horace Silver. Such Herculean activity doesn't necessarily equate with artistic achievement, but the fact is that the young Byrd vastly improved his straight ahead skills with every showing which afforded him a great start. In some ways, his trajectory was similar to that of Cannonball Adderley and, coincidentally, his recording debut proper was actually made in the company of the Adderley brothers on a date helmed by Kenny Clarke for Savoy.

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