Jazz Articles about Chris Byars

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Neal Miner: Invisibility

by Jack Bowers
April 27, 2026

Here is a jazz trio with a twist: instead of the usual piano, bass and drums--or guitar, bass and drums--Neal Miner's threesome on Invisibility consists of tenor saxophone, bass and drums. While bassist Miner is the nominal leader, the New York City-based trio is a true co-op in which Miner, drummer Jason Tiemann and saxophonist Chris Byars perform distinct yet basically similar tasks. The trio started working together in 2023, found it shared chemistry and a common purpose, ...

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Neal Miner: Invisibility

by Pierre Giroux
October 8, 2025

Bassist Neal Miner has always been a strong supporter of jazz's lyrical tradition, and Invisibilility finds him in top form, not only as an instrumentalist but also as a composer deeply rooted in the idiom's classic origins. Joined by tenor saxophonist Chris Byars and drummer Jason Tiemann, Miner creates a trio sound that is conversational, closely connected and impressively complete. This is not a leader-and-sidemen session; rather, it is a collective where each musician shares equal responsibility for texture, pulse ...

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John Lang: Earotica

by Jack Bowers
December 13, 2023

There's something special about a nonet: small enough to have its own personality, yet large enough to sound at times akin to a full-size big band. Bassist John Lang leads a first-class nonet on Earotica, his fourth album as leader. Having given Lang's last disc a rather lukewarm appraisal almost two years ago, it is a pleasure to note that his new album is superior in every respect. Gone are the desultory funk and rock beats, replaced ...

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Chris Byars: Studying Unsung Heroes

by Ludwig vanTrikt
September 30, 2009

[Introduction by Teddy Charles]

It's not easy to be Chris Byars. With an incredible array of talents brought to bear on his composition, arrangements, and cooking jazz performances, it's no wonder he's worked his way to the forefront of the myriad of jazz players overwhelming the scene.

For me, our felicitous association led to multiple gigs and recordings. Dances with Bulls (Smalls Records, 2009) updates some of my old concepts, resulting in some daring explorations; a great recording.

Inspired by ...

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Eli Yamin: You Can't Buy Swing

by George Kanzler
November 18, 2008

Pianist Eli Yamin is a communicator who believes jazz can foster a sense of community. His work is expansive and extroverted, populist in the best sense. As a teacher--he's now part of Jazz at Lincoln Center's education program--he's created jazz dramas and the dramatic impulse is a strong component of his music. So is swing. This album's title comes from a saying by a drummer who worked often with Yamin, the late Walter Perkins: “You can't buy swing, baby sweets. ...

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Chris Byars: Pictures at an Exhibition of Himalayan Art

by Elliott Simon
April 2, 2008

While its mission is the preservation of Himalayan art, NYC's Rubin Museum continues to produce an excellent concert series in collaboration with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. The series has developed into a forum for artists to perform new projects in a singularly spiritual setting. Saxophonist Chris Byars has in effect written a soundtrack for selected art pieces from the Rubin--ancient tapestries depicting the deities and concepts of the Bön religious tradition of Tibet--reproductions of which are included in ...

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Chris Byars: Photos in Black, White and Gray

by Ken Dryden
March 26, 2007

Saxophonist Chris Byars has made a name for himself as one of many promising neo-bop musicians who perform on a regular basis at Smalls in New York City, while also appearing on a number of CDs (as either a sideman or leader) issued by the Smalls label. He has played since the age of seven and earned a Masters degree at the Manhattan School of Music at the age of twenty. For his third date as a leader, Byars is ...