Results for "Donald Byrd"

Donald Byrd

Born: December 9, 1932

Trumpeter Donald Byrd was born in Detroit in 1932, his studies at Wayne State University (1954) were interrupted by military service, during which he played in an Air Force band. He then attended the Manhattan School of Music (MA in music education). At the same time he was the favorite studio trumpeter of the bop label Presitge (1956-58), though he also recorded frequently for Riverside and Blue Note.

He gave performances with George Wallington (1955), Art Blakey (1956), and along with Gigi Gryce was a member of the Jazz Lab Quintet (1957). He also performed with Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and others, before settling into a partnership with Pepper Adams (1958-61). After studying composition in Europe (1963-63) Byrd began a career in black music education, teaching at Rutgers, the Hampton Institute, Howard University, and (after receiving a law degree, 1976) North Carolina Central University; in 1982 he was awarded a doctorate by Columbia Teachers College.

Soul Junction

By Red Garland

Label: Craft Recordings
Released: 2026

Ronnie Cuber: Baritone Boss

by Mark McKergow
September 14, 2026

Ronnie Cuber (1941-2022) made his mark on the jazz world as a versatile and muscular baritone saxophonist. Born in New York on Christmas Day 1941, he started on tenor saxophone but switched to baritone at 17, attracted by the vacant chair in Marshall Brown's Newport Jazz Youth Band (which also featured lifelong colleagues Eddie Gomez and Michael ...

John Coltrane in Detroit: A Brief History

by Paul Rauch
September 8, 2026

When the calendar turned to 2026, a spirit of celebration was sparked in the jazz community. It marked one hundred years from the birth dates of two jazz titans in John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Coltrane departed us in 1967 from cancer, a life of barely more than forty years that changed the course of jazz. ...

Roger Glenn: Reachin'

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 23, 2026

Sticking with a trend that has continued to thrive over the years, Craft Records' Jazz Dispensary imprint is now celebrating its tenth anniversary. Following on the heels of their reissues of The Visitors' Motherland (Muse, 1975) and Joe Henderson's Tetragon (Milestone, 1968), they have now tapped into the West Coast scene so well documented by Fantasy Records ...

Old and New Bottles: A Pair of Essential Releases from Joe Henderson

by C. Andrew Hovan
May 7, 2026

Especially among those who knew him well, Joe Henderson was a true Renaissance man. Born into a large family in Lima, Ohio, he made his way to New York City by way of Detroit--a fertile proving ground for jazz musicians in the 1950s and '60s. While studying at Wayne State University, he counted Donald Byrd, Barry ...

Happy Birthday Herbie Hancock! Recognizing birthdays of Gene Ammons, Joshua Espinoza, and Others; New Music From Kurt Elling, Spyro Gyra, and More

by David W. Daniels
April 21, 2026

Herbie Hancock turned 86 on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Recognition of his musical contributions to albums by Donald Byrd, Jackie Mclean, the Pointer Sisters, and others. New music as named above, also from Michael Dease, Jeremy Pelt, Javon Jackson, and more. Playlist Eddie Henderson “Discoveries" from Inside Out (Capricorn) 00:00 Donald Byrd “Requiem" from ...

The Sistering Project, Joe Williams, Gillian Margot, Nicole Zuraitis and Many More

by Jua Howard
April 3, 2026

Hey Music Family! I hope you all are taking care of yourselves and protecting your peace. It's time for another episode of the “First Instrument Jazz Show"! I've got a lot of new music including from Tierney Sutton, April Varner, Kurt Elling and a powerful collaboration between Kate McGarry, Nnenna Freelon, Lenora Zenzalai Helm and Lois ...

In the Land of Giants: OJCs from Thad Jones and Red Garland

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 6, 2026

The late 1950s marked a particularly fertile period in jazz. Big bands still commanded audiences, while smaller combos often blended veterans of the swing era with the rising architects of modern bop. Musicians such as Thad Jones, Frank Wess, Illinois Jacquet, and Coleman Hawkins moved fluidly among ensembles, thriving in a moment before the stylistic fault ...

Mal Waldron: His Journey Across 12 Albums

by Carl Medsker
February 20, 2026

Mal Waldron's life story is compelling, and to mark his 2025 centenary, this article aims to introduce his work to those less familiar with it by tracing his journey across 12 distinctive recordings.  Max Roach once singled him out, along with Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Hasaan Ibn Ali and Randy Weston, as uniquely original ...