Jazz Articles about Jaki Byard

Jaki Byard: Solo/Strings

by Derek Taylor
November 1, 2000

Jazz history is rife with piano geniuses: Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Cecil Taylor, Herbie Nichols, and so many others. But aside from the monolithic figure of Art Tatum few if any have succeeded in blending virtuosity, imagination and a complete command of the instrument like Jaki Byard did. His senseless murder last year marked the demise of an instrumental intellect virtually unparalleled not just in Jazz, but in modern music as a whole. All that is left now are the ...

Jaki Byard: Family Man

by Jim Santella
March 1, 2000

Named for his family members, several movements from Jaki Byard’s “Family Suite" relate the deep affection the pianist harbored for his home and family. Byard made his decision early on in his career to work close to home rather than travel. Recorded in 1978, long out of print, but reissued last month for the first time on compact disc, Byard’s Family Man offers a glimpse toward several of the many styles this pianist espoused during his 60-year career as teacher/composer/performer. ...

Jaki Byard: On the Spot!

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2000

It is without exaggeration to suggest that the late Jaki Byard was probably one of the most complete pianists that jazz has seen or will likely ever see again. For this iconoclast, everything from the stride of James P. Johnson to the thundering cacophony of Cecil Taylor was fair game for further maturation and he managed to develop a style that took in the music's history, combining disparate elements with deceptive ease.

Beginning in 1961, Byard would embark on what ...

Jaki Byard: On the Spot!

by Derek Taylor
January 1, 2000

When Jaki Byard was murdered early in 1999 it was a blow to jazz music felt by many, but one that is softened slightly when one considers the incredible legacy and eclectic body of work the man left behind as an outcome of his nearly seven decades behind the keys. Over the last several years Prestige has finally been getting around to reissuing all of the invaluable sessions Byard cut for the label during the late 1960s. This disc presents ...

Jaki Byard: On the Spot!

by AAJ Staff
December 1, 1999

Jaki Byard was an encyclopedia unto himself; in a French concert it’s said he went “from James P. Johnson to Cecil Taylor." You hear that in his albums, even in the same song; with Mingus he would take explosions and follow them with classical beauty. On this date there’s more variety than ever: studio and live tracks, a program that covers six decades, an alto sax on two numbers. Thank his resourcefulness, his broad knowledge. And thank the talent that ...