Jazz Lab/Modern Jazz Perspective

Performer: Donald Byrd
Artist: Julius Watkins; Tommy Flanagan; Art Taylor; Jimmy Cleveland; Wynton Kelly; Jackie Paris
Distributor: Gotham Distributing Corp.

Notes: 2 LP's on 1 CD: JAZZ LAB/MODERN JAZZ PERSPECTIVE. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff. JAZZ LAB: Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Benny Powell, Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Don Butterfield (tuba); Tommy Flanagan, Wade Legge (piano); Wendell Marshall (bass); Art Taylor (drums). MODERN JAZZ PERSPECTIVE: Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Jackie Paris (vocals); Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Jimmy Cleveland (trombone); Wynton Kelly (piano); Wendall Marshall (bass); Art Taylor (drums). Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Jackie Paris (vocals); Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone); Julius Watkins (French horn); Jimmy Cleveland, Benny Powell (trombone); Don Butterfield (tuba); Tommy Flanagan, Wade Legge, Wynton Kelly (piano). Liner Note Author: Nat Hentoff. Recording information: 1957. The Jazz Lab Quintet was a top-flight outfit of leading players, co-led by trumpeter Donald Byrd and altoist Gigi Gryce, that was active in 1957. This re-issue pulls together two releases from that year, both featuring strong writing, arranging, and solo spots. Gryce, as chief arranger and writer, is the key figure. He's also an appealing saxophonist, playing with the same joy heard in his best-known compositions, "$Minority" and "Nica's Dream." Byrd, a faceless player at times, is in top form here, a worthy heir to Clifford Brown, whose place Byrd took in the Max Roach quintet following Brownie's death in 1956. Mention of the Roach-Brown group is pertinent, as the JLQ work a similar transitional space between bop and hard bop. Another key influence, Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool, can be heard in the six performances where the quintet is fleshed out with parts for trombone, tuba, french horn, and baritone sax. Here the arrangements evoke the close, rich harmonies of Gil Evans' arrangements for the classic Davis sessions from 1949. With the exceptions of a borderline kitschy "Over the Rainbow" and Jackie Paris' corny vocal on "Early Morning Blues," the performances and material are solid across both sessions. Highlights include great versions of Benny Golson's "Stablemates" and "I Remember Clifford," Randy Weston's "Little Niles," and several originals from Gryce. Paris also redeems himself with masterful scat singing on Byrd's "Elgy." ~ Jim Todd

Donald Byrd set the standard for hard-bop trumpet in his days as a regular on the Prestige and Blue Note labels. His brassy tone and adventurous solos, coupled with a deep sense of the blues, made him one of the most in-demand trumpeters of the 1950s and '60s. Later, Byrd turned to the R&B-influenced side of jazz, which sustained him through several successful years in the late '60s. By the 1970s, Byrd had fully embraced funk and R&B in the form of his popular group, the Blackbyrds. In the '90s, Byrd was introduced to a new crowd when he was a featured performer on rapper Guru's groundbreaking JAZZMATAZZ.

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