Fuego

Performer: Donald Byrd
Artist: Jackie McLean; Duke Pearson
Engineer: Rudy VanGelder
Producer: Alfred Lion
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Duke Pearson (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Lex Humphries (drums). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on October 4, 1959. Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather. Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Duke Pearson (piano); Doug Watkins (bass instrument); Lex Humphries (drums). Liner Note Author: Leonard Feather. Donald Byrd's FUEGO is one of the many fine hard-bop sets the trumpeter recorded for Blue Note throughout the late 1950s and '60s. Featuring all Byrd originals, from the driving pulse of the opening title track to the gospel-tinged "Amen," which closes out the album, FUEGO has much to recommend it. There are top-notch personnel (Jackie McLean lends his soulful sax work to the proceedings), strong compositions, and a relaxed, open feel throughout. And, of course, Rudy Van Gelder's pristine engineering is the icing on the cake. "Funky Mama" is all sultry swing, a martial bounce gives way to bluesy groove in "Low Life," and the melancholic, mid-tempo "Lament" keeps things varied. The album as a whole, however, is unified in tone and mood, and it still sounds fresh and vital decades after its inception. And while record enthusiasts may stand by their vinyl, the Blue Note CD reissue--on which the original analog masters have been transferred to digital--improves what is already an exceptional recording.

Record Collector (magazine) (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Remarkably, it doesn't sound dated....It is a shining example of the art of hard bop."

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.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25