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Album Review

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

Read "Live: Cookin' With Blue Note at Montreux" reviewed by Stefano Merighi


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 ...

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Play This!

Donald Byrd: Black Byrd

Read "Donald Byrd: Black Byrd" reviewed by Ian Patterson


It's time to celebrate. Nearly fifty years after the event, Donald Byrd's 1973 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival finally sees the light of day. Like many of his contemporaries, Byrd had turned to electric jazz-fusion towards the end of the '60s, and this live set bears all the hallmarks of a hard bopper who had happily assimilated the r&b, soul and funk that was de rigueur at the time. Of the six tracks, only “Black Bird," with its Sun ...

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Donald Byrd: The Emperor

Read "Donald Byrd: The Emperor" reviewed by Chris May


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Album Review

Donald Byrd: Cookin' With Blue Note At Montreux

Read "Cookin' With Blue Note At Montreux" reviewed by Ian Patterson


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 ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Duo Hofmaninger / Schwarz, Charles Stepney, Jeff Parker, Donald Byrd & More New Releases

Read "Duo Hofmaninger / Schwarz, Charles Stepney, Jeff Parker, Donald Byrd & More New Releases" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Precious archival recordings featuring unheard music by Charles Stepney, Donald Byrd and Miles Davis open this edition of Mondo Jazz featuring new and upcoming albums. The playlist is completed by the epic live album by Jeff Parker Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, and the intriguing work of young European players. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Charles Stepney “Look B4u Leap" Step on Step (International ...

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Album Review

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

Read "Donald Byrd Live: Cookin' With Blue Note at Montreux" reviewed by Peter Jones


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 ...

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Album Review

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

Read "Donald Byrd Live: Cookin' With Blue Note at Montreux" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


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 ...


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