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Charlie Byrd: The Best of the Concord Years
ByThese Concord highlights are remarkably varied, not only in terms of style but also in terms of instrumentation. A number of them feature Byrd and his regular trio with bassist Joe Byrd and drummer Wayne Phillips. Chuck Redd replaces Phillips on the later cuts, switch-hitting on vibes for "As Long As I Live," "St. Louis Blues," and "This Can’t Be Love." Needless to say, a nylon-string/vibes/bass combo is a rarity in jazz, and so the sounds on these tracks are especially unusual and rewarding. A number of smooth-toned woodwind players appear, including tenorist Scott Hamilton, clarinetist Ken Peplowski, and altoist Bud Shank. Peplowski’s haunting work on "Don’t Explain" is a standout. Several other selections — most notably Bix Beiderbecke’s "Candlelights" — feature Byrd with an all-guitar quintet. Fellow nylon-stringers Laurindo Almeida, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and Romero Lubambo also rear their heads during the course of compilation, as do Steve Wilson and a very young Larry Grenadier. "Cottontail" and "Besame Mucho" feature the most arresting combo of all, however: the "Hot Club De Concord," with Byrd, Johnny Frigo on violin, Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica, Frank Vignola on rhythm guitar, and Michael Moore on bass.
At times Byrd’s single-note phrasing on the nylon-string can be a bit clunky, particularly on straight swing numbers like "It Don’t Mean a Thing." But the instrument’s resonant, intimate qualities come through on most of the collection, especially the two solo guitar arrangements, "I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan" and "The Christmas Song" (the latter misidentified in the listings as a trio piece).
Track Listing
Disc One: 1. It Don
Personnel
Charlie Byrd
guitarAlbum information
Title: The Best of the Concord Years | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Concord Music Group
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Charlie Byrd
CD/LP/Track Review
David Adler
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The Best Of The Concord Years