Jazz Articles about Nathan Davis

Donald Byrd: Live: Cookin' With Blue Note at Montreux

by Stefano Merighi
February 20, 2024

Nelle note di copertina, Don Was, presidente della Blue Note, celebra questa pubblicazione inedita del concerto di Montreux di Donald Byrd del 1973 con toni di grande rispetto ed entusiasmo. E il trombettista (scomparso nel 2013) se lo merita, sia per un certo distacco critico che ne ha sempre contraddistinto l'opera, sia per il ruolo di scouter ed educatore che Byrd ha giocato in quegli anni, quando molti jazzmen hanno preferito trasformare un linguaggio ancora legato ai fasti dell'hard bop ...

Nathan Davis Quintet: The Hip Walk

by Ken Dryden
January 14, 2024

There are numerous examples of talented American jazz musicians who had long careers but were overlooked by critics, broadcasters and much of the jazz audience, often because they spent decades as full time jazz educators, which limited their opportunities to tour in support of their recordings. Nathan Davis, primarily known as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, though he was also a fine flautist and clarinetist, falls into that category, though part of the reason he is lesser known is that ...

Donald Byrd: Cookin' With Blue Note At Montreux

by Ian Patterson
March 21, 2023

Almost fifty years after the event, Donald Byrd's 1973 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival finally sees the light of day. Several other artists on Blue Note's roster had performances released--in more timely manner--from the same edition of Claude Nobs festival, including Ronnie Foster, Bobbi Humphrey, Bobby Hutcherson and Marlena Shaw. In no small part, thanks for this posthumous Byrd release is due to the French-born, London-based DJ and label owner Gilles Peterson, who contacted Blue Note regarding the whereabouts ...

Donald Byrd: Donald Byrd Live: Cookin' With Blue Note at Montreux

by Peter Jones
December 30, 2022

What a treat it must have been in 1973 to attend the Montreux Jazz Festival: the featured artists that year included Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner, Chico Hamilton, Sam Rivers, Bobbi Humphrey, Dr John, Marlena Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson... and Donald Byrd with his Tentet, whose July 5 performance is captured on this album. It was also the year of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters (Columbia Records) album, not to mention several Blaxploitation movie soundtracks, including J.J. Johnson's for Cleopatra Jones and ...

Donald Byrd: Donald Byrd Live: Cookin' With Blue Note at Montreux

by Mike Jurkovic
December 18, 2022

With the release of his chart-topping, funk-fueled Black Byrd in 1973, Donald Byrd found himself in a volatile place in jazz circles. He was being hailed as having finally stepped out of Miles Davis' considerable shadow, while simultaneously many found the album to be Byrd's selling out his bop legacy for chart success. As most defining artistic moments reveal, a little of both were true. Produced and arranged by the brothers Fonce Mizelland Larry Mizell, Black Byrd incorporated ...

Nathan Davis: The Best of Nathan Davis '65-'76

by Clifford Allen
June 11, 2009

Nathan Davis The Best of Nathan Davis '65-'76 Jazzman 2009

The concept of a “Best Of" album seems like it should be set aside for those musicians who have entered the popular consciousness to the degree that a sampler disc would be an easy sell. In jazz, canonical artists like trumpeter Miles Davis, saxophonist John Coltrane, bandleader Duke Ellington and pianist Thelonious Monk have seen the “Best Of" and “Greatest Hits" treatment ...

Ha-Yang Kim: Ama

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 8, 2008

Che fosse un momento particolarmente felice per violoncelli e violoncellisti ce n’eravamo già accorti. È da un bel pezzo che i vari Fred Lonberg-Holm, Erik Friedlander, Tomas Ulrich e Daniel Levin, solo per citarne alcuni, tengono desta l’attenzione di chi osserva gli imperscrutabili cieli della galassia impro contemporanea. Eppure, lo ammettiamo, nel novero degli adepti al culto del fratellino del contrabbasso il nome di Ha-Yang Kim ci mancava. Poco male, perchè d’ora in poi non dimenticheremo certo di menzionarla, consigliarne ...