Artist: Donald Byrd Genre(s):
Jazz
funk
Jazz: Funk
Blues
Discography:
Blackjack Year: 2004
Tracks: 7
Byrd in Hand Year: 2003
Tracks: 6
Street Lady Year: 1999
Tracks: 6
A New Perspective Year: 1999
Tracks: 5
Blue Breakbeats Year: 1998
Tracks: 7
Electric Byrd Year: 1996
Tracks: 4
His Majesty King Funk: Up with Donald Byrd Year: 1995
Tracks: 14
A City Called Heaven Year: 1994
Tracks: 8
Black Byrd Year: 1992
Tracks: 7
Harlem Blues Year: 1987
Tracks: 7
Thank You ... For F.U.M.L (Funking Up My Life) Year: 1978
Tracks: 8
Ethiopian Knights Year: 1971
Tracks: 3
Kofi Year: 1970
Tracks: 5
Fancy Free Year: 1969
Tracks: 4
Slow Drag Year: 1967
Tracks: 6
Creeper Year: 1967
Tracks: 7
Mustang! Year: 1966
Tracks: 8
Groovin' for Nat Year: 1962
Tracks: 11
Royal Flush Year: 1961
Tracks: 6
Chant Year: 1961
Tracks: 6
![Fuego [The RVG Edition 2005]](http://img.mp3fiesta.com/covers/21/21317/alb_87889_th.jpg)
Fuego [The RVG Edition 2005] Year: 1960
Tracks: 6
Byrd in Flight Year: 1960
Tracks: 6
At the Half Note Cafe Vol.1 Year: 1960
Tracks: 8
At The Half Note Cafe Vol. 2 Year: 1960
Tracks: 6
Winterset Year: 1958
Tracks: 9
Off to the Races Year: 1958
Tracks: 6
Jazz in Paris: Donald Byrd Quintet Parisian Thoroughfare Year: 1958
Tracks: 8
Jazz in Paris: Byrd in Paris Year: 1958
Tracks: 5
Two Trumpets Year: 1956
Tracks: 5
Donald Byrd was considered unrivaled of the finest hard federal Bureau of Prisons trumpeters of the post-Clifford Brown earned run average. He recorded prolifically as both a leader and sideman from the mid-'50s into the mid-'60s, most a great deal for Blue Note, where he established a reputation as a self-coloured stylist with a clean tone of voice, clear articulation, and a hang for melodicism. Toward the end of the '60s, Byrd became spell-bound with Miles Davis' move into fusion, and started recording his have forays into the field. In the early '70s, with the help of brothers Larry and Fonce Mizell, Byrd perfected a bright, breezy, commercially potent take on nuclear fusion that was discrete from Davis, incorporating tighter arrangements and more of a smooth soul influence. Opinions on this phase of Byrd's career diverge wildly -- jazz purists absolutely scorned it, stigmatisation Byrd a sellout and the records a betrayal of endowment, just enraptured jazz-funk fans regard it as some of the about innovative, long-suffering play of its kind. In fact, proportionally speaking, Byrd is held in regular higher admiration by that audience than by straight-ahead jazz fans wHO love his hard bebop yield.Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II was born in Detroit, MI, on December 9, 1932. His padre, a Methodist diplomatic minister, was an amateur instrumentalist, and Byrd was already an accomplished trumpeter by the time he finished high schooling, having performed with Lionel Hampton. Byrd served a stint in the Air Force, during which time he played in a military stripe, and after completed his bachelor's degree in music at Wayne State University in 1954. He touched to New York in 1955 to get his master's at the Manhattan School of Music, and before long began acting with pianist George Wallington's grouping. In December of that year, he was invited to link up Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, fill a chair formerly held by his perfection, Clifford Brown, and Kenny Dorham. Byrd as well began his recording calling during this period, in the lead respective sessions (by and large for Savoy) and working often as a sideman, peculiarly at the Prestige judge. He left hand the Jazz Messengers in 1956 and united up with Max Roach; he went on to flirt with the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Red Garland, and as well co-founded the Jazz Lab Quintet with altoist Gigi Gryce in 1957.In 1958, Byrd signed an exclusive recording get with Blue Note, and as well formed a band with baritonist Pepper Adams, wHO would stay Byrd's regular collaborator until 1961. Byrd's Blue Note debut was 1958's
Off to the Races, and he and Adams collaborated on a series of excellent hard bebop dates over the adjacent three days, including
William Byrd in Hand (1959),
At the Half Note Cafe, Vols. dozen (1960),
The Cat Walk (1961), and
Royal Flush (as well 1961), among others. Another 1961 recording,
Liberate Form, launch Byrd gift a young Herbie Hancock some of his earlier exposure. Following this burst of activeness, Byrd took a sabbatic to continue his studies in Europe, where he spent some metre under the tutelage of the legendary French music pedagog Nadia Boulanger. He returned to the U.S. in 1963 and recorded
A New Perspective, a now-classic set that skint new undercoat by incorporating gospel choirs into its arrangements; its signature piece, "Cristo Redentor," became quite an popular.In the mid-'60s, Byrd focussed more of his energies on didactics, and worked diligently to make jazz and its history a legitimate piece of the college syllabus. He taught at Rutgers, Hampton, New York University, and Howard in the tardy '60s, and the final peerless remained a stiff association for much of the '70s. In the lag, Byrd continued to criminal record from time to time, slip a final spate of voiceless bop albums over 1966-1967 that included
Mustang! and
Cosh. Byrd as well began to study African music, inspired partly by the emerging black-consciousness trend, and became interested in Miles Davis' efforts to court a younger audience (including Byrd's possess students) by experimenting with electronics and funk rhythms. 1969's
Fancy Free launch Byrd using electric pianoforte for the first time, with a spaced-out sound that recalled Davis'
In a Silent Way. 1970's
Electrical Byrd had more than of a
Bitches Brew smell, and the jams on 1971's
Ethiopian Knights were yearner, funkier, and more aggressive. Byrd truly came into his possess as a fusion creative person when he hooklike up with brothers Larry and Fonce Mizell, wHO began to do by yield, piece of writing, and some musical support duties. Their number one quislingism was 1972's
Black Byrd, an eudaimonia, funky blend of nothingness and R&B. Jazz critics scorned the album and called Byrd all sorts of name calling, simply the record was a smash strike; it became the biggest trafficker in Blue Note history, and just lost hit number one on the R&B albums chart. In the awaken of its success, Byrd formed a load-bearing group, the Blackbyrds, world Health Organization were culled from the cream of his music students at Howard University and recorded through the rest of the '70s. Byrd went on to liberation a drawing string of successful LPs in partnership with the Mizell Brothers, including the complex number blaxploitation soundtrack
Street Lady (1974),
Stepping into Tomorrow (1975), the much-lauded
Places and Spaces (1976), and
Caricatures (1977). All made the Top Ten on the R&B album charts, and the
Places and Spaces single "Change (Makes You Wanna Hustle)" even got significant play in discotheques. Jazz-funk fans revers this period in worldwide, but unremarkably military reserve their highest praise for
Street Lady and, specially,
Places and Spaces. As a side musical note to his melodious career, Byrd finished law school in 1976, and went on to teach at North Carolina Central University.Following
Caricatures, Byrd parted shipway with Blue Note and the Mizell Brothers and moved to Elektra. He recorded several albums over 1978-1983, but regular the most commercially successful, 1978's
Thank You...for F.U.M.L. (Funking up My Life), didn't equalise the infectiousness of his Blue Note jazz-funk outings. In 1982, Byrd received his Ph.D. from Columbia Teachers College. He washed-out a few days in the mid-'80s away from transcription, due in role to ill health, but continued to teach, moving on to North Texas State and Delaware State. In the belated '80s and early '90s, Byrd returned to the hard bop of his early days on various roger Huntington Sessions for the Landmark label. He participated in knocker Guru's Jazzmatazz jut in 1993, and with the second Coming of the jazz-rap motion and England's acidic jazz revival, his '70s albums became hugely popular sources for samples. In the interim, Byrd continued his activities as a jazz educator.
