Caricatures

Performer: Donald Byrd
Artist: Harvey Mason; Alphonse Mouzon; David T. Walker; Patrice Rushen; Gary Bartz; Ernie Watts
Engineer: Jim Nipar; Serge Reyes
Producer: Fonce Mizell; Larry Mizell; Michael Cuscuna (Reissue)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Donald Byrd (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Mildred Lane, Kay Haith (vocals); Gary Bartz, Ernie Watts (saxophone); Fonce Mizell (trumpet, keyboards); Oscar Brashear (trumpet); George Bohannon (trombone); Patrice Rushen, Jerry Peters, Skip Scarborough (keyboards); John Rowin, David T. Walker, Bernard "Beloyd" Taylor (guitar); James Jameson, Scott Edwards (bass); Harvey Mason, Alphonse Mouzon (drums); Stephanie Spruill, Mayuto Carrea (percussion). Recorded at Sound Factory Studios, Hollywood, California between April & May 1976. This is part of Blue Note Records "Rare Groove" series. Personnel: Donald Byrd (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, background vocals); Kay Haith, Mildred Lane (vocals); David T. Walker, John Rowin, Bernard Taylor (guitar); Ernie Watts, Gary Bartz (saxophone, horns); Fonce Mizell (trumpet, horns, keyboards, background vocals); Oscar Brashear (trumpet, horns); George Bohannon (trombone, horns); Jerry Peters, Patrice Rushen, Skip Scarborough (keyboards); Harvey Mason, Sr. , Alphonse Mouzon (drums); Mayuto Correa, Stephanie Spruill (percussion); Theresa Mitchell, Larry Mizell, Vernessa Mitchell (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Jim Nipar. Recording information: Hollywood, CA (04/1976-05/1976); Sound Factory, Hollywood, CA (04/1976-05/1976). Arrangers: Fonce Mizell; Larry Mizell. One of his last efforts with the Mizell production team was definitely not his most critically acclaimed, but Caricatures continued Byrd's commercial winning streak that started years previous with 1969's Kofi and such '70s Blue Note classics as Places and Spaces, Black Byrd, and Street Lady. His last release for the label was no exception to the formula set forth from the previously mentioned albums. One of Caricatures strongest features is the level of musicianship from start to finish. Byrd recruited some of the top '70s soul-jazz musicians, such as Gary Bartz, Alphonse Mouzon, David T Walker, and future '80s R&B hitmaker Patrice Rushen, to help complement the musicianship laid down by Byrd and the Mizell brothers. The atmosphere is light and soulful, with musicians bouncing off one another for ideas that shift closer towards R&B while maintaining a sense of jazz ideals. While there is no truly memorable anthemic release or hit to speak of, Caricatures serves its primary purpose of being a jazz fusion record to make both people dance and purists wince at the notion that jazz can fuse with other elements and achieve success. ~ Rob Theakston

Mojo (Publisher) (7/03, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The musicianship is impeccable....The bass-heavy rhythms are beaty and bouncy throughout..."

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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