Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams

Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams: The Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Sessions

by Jim Santella
May 1, 2000

Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams began their jazz careers under similar circumstances at about the same time. Two years of military service, a musical education, and experience with established leaders prepared the trail. From Detroit, both found themselves in the center of New York’s late 1950s hard bop jazz scene. That fertile era produced some of our favorite recordings. It’s no surprise that Miles Davis was a big influence on Byrd’s development and that Harry Carney influenced Adams. The baritone ...