Donald Byrd Music

Apart from the vocal textures, there's not a lot of inherent musical interest on this album. The "tunes" are simple musical ideas based on Dorian modes and minor blues changes, the rhythm is primarily walking 4/4, the principals (Byrd, Burrell, Mobley, Hancock) each manage to provide at least one pleasant but unremarkable solo statement. At least it's better background jazz than you'll hear these days on those so-called "contemporary jazz" stations.

As for the performance itself, it's far from perfect. There are random false starts by the vocalists as well as the instrumentalists, and individual voices among both groups occasionally stick out when they should be blending in (or one voice sings "dah-dot" while the others sing "doo-dot"). Van Gelder, moreover, is not the ideal sound engineer for a recording like this. His flat aural canvases and disregard for spatial imaging make no distinction, for example, between the volume level of a single piano note and the entire choir. With the addition of a horn like Coltrane's, with its spirit-seeking quality, and a recording respectful of space and ambiance, this session might have acquired some depth and spiritual/emotional resonance.

Byrd, who made his name in the hard-bop vein on a large number of Blue Note and Prestige releases in the '50s and '60s, makes "A New Perspective" live up to its name, particularly in light of his later rather tepid funk/R&B material in the '70s with the Blackbyrds. This release gathers together familiar Blue Note mainstays, including Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, and Herbie Hancock, but Byrd offers up a series of gospel-inspired tunes with his band backing the Coleridge-Perkinson Choir. The results are mostly satisfying, although at times the vocal arrangements lacked the tonal color I'd have liked.

The album offers, however, one unforgettable gem: the soaring, majestic and altogether inspiring "Cristo Redentor," one of the best compositions of the underrated pianist Duke Pearson. The tune was inspired by Pearson's sighting of the statue of Christ in the Andes, and the music seems to capture every bit of the awe Pearson undoubtedly felt when he viewed the statue. The choir begins with a deep, reverent hum that lays a base from which the soprano voicings depart. After this stirring intro, Byrd enters, sketching the theme respectfully before offering his own humble, but blues-drenched respects to the vision. Also not to be missed in the performance is Hancock's soulful accompaniment on piano. Tremendous tune, one of the select few that in my opinion capture the essence of religious devotion without any trivializing.

As for the rest of the album, well, it doesn't quite measure up to the lofty standards of "Cristo Redentor," but there are plenty of nice moments and of course some fine performances from the aforementioned musicians as well as Dave Pike on vibraphone. "Beast of Burden" is a slowly shuffling, satisfying blues; "Elijah" is a joyous shout; and "Chant" finds the choir in robust full throat.

Byrd was, for me, never quite first-tier among the trumpeters of his era. On "A New Perspective" you won't find him reaching a another level technically. Stylistically, however, this album plows some new and intriguing ground both for Byrd and for Blue Note. Recommended.

this set isn't bad at all.He takes on a few styles here&some things work.but Compared to His Early 70's Output the Music Here doesn't have that Lasting vibe for me.the Musicianship here is sharp but the Material overal doesn't hold up to me.but I have enjoyed many of His Recordings&He has a Cool Tone in His Work.

I found this cd rather enjoyable. Donald Byrd demonstrates his ablilties and musical tastes teamed with the rest of the personnel on the disc and shows that he can put a unique touch to the various tunes, from the smooth ballad Beast of Burden to the driving, almost tribal feel of The Black Disciple with the voices. Consider this something pleasant to add to your collection, perhaps not a masterpiece, but something worth having.

(this might duplicate the previous review, as I had tech problems here).

Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson team up again (I have Byrd's "a new perspective" with Duke Pearson at the keys, recorded 3 years before in 1960). This time, Duke Pearson leaves the keys to Herbie Hancock, and sticks to the role of arranger and composer. He wrote 2 out of the 5 songs, and Byrd the other 3.

Songs are for voice and jazz band, but the voices are treated as just instruments, and blend effortlessly with the instruments. Donald's trumpet and Hank Mobley's sax sound especially human-like in this setting (actually, to preserve the illusion, all the solos are quite restrained and paced accordingly).

The compositions have a hymnal quality which reminded me of Charlie Haden and Hank Jones' "steal away". They are mostly melancholic songs with bluesy church-y undertones. This cd will not get you to dance, but you will listen to it again when the right mood strikes.

Enjoy..

This is like no other CD that I know of. "Elijah" will knock you on your [back-side], and then Duke Pearson's "Cristo Redentor" will administer the TKO. Buy it, play it, repeat as necessary.

I'll admit Donald Byrd is not my favorite trumpeter, but this is his best work, as far as I'm concerned. It's easy to shrug this off as a "blowing session," as a previous reviewer did. But to my ears, this free-wheeling session is more enjoyable than the overly calculated Hard Bop/Soul Jazz Byrd would become known for (see Byrd in Hand and Blackjack). "Off to the Races" is worth the price of admission alone. There's just more life and spontaneity to this record than most of his better-known work.

But then, I'm more of a Clifford Brown guy.

Over the course of the past couple months, Donald Byrd has slowly supplanted Freddie Hubbard as my favorite trumpet player. Byrd has such a great combination of lyricism and a full, rich tone and it's shown off to great effect on Off to the Races, Byrd's first date as a leader on Blue Note (although he had led sessions on other labels prior to this). Byrd is joined by Jackie McLean (alto sax), Pepper Adams (baritone sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Sam Jones (bass), and Art Taylor (drums).

Byrd is one of the most underrated composers in jazz in my opinion (See his fabulous "Tanya" on Dexter's One Flight Up). He composed all but two of the pieces on this album, the exceptions being the standard "Lover Come Back to Me", given a quick bop treatment here, and Sonny Rollins's "Paul's Pal's", another great tune that'll follow you around for days. "Sudwest Funk" is true to its billing, a deep, funky blues with a great central riff, given weight by the three horn interplay. "When Your Love Has Gone" is a stunning ballad with Byrd as the solo horn. Wynton Kelly is outstanding on this track, providing subtle shading to back Byrd's soulful trumpet lines. "Off to the Races" is an extended blues march that kicks off with a great drum into from Taylor before moving into another heavy unison horn riff. The length of the piece allows all the players to show off their skills. Finally, "Down Tempo" is a bluesy piece highlighted by some funky piano work from Kelly and some tight bass from Jones. Greasy.

This is one of those great albums like Mobley's Soul Station or Clark's Cool Struttin', providing a blueprint of what hard bop should sound like. With a great cast of players and solid set of songs, this is one race whose outcome won't disappoint.

depending on the era where Donald Byrd moved you the most overall you will have many opinions about his earlier Trumpet work to his more Jazz/Funk Fusion work of the 70's which has Dominated alot of his musical Legacy,but this Album showcases Donald Byrd in the late 50's creating some good pieces&having a signature sound.Wynton Kelly is on Piano, with Jackie Mclean on Alto Sax,Sam Jones on the Bass&Art Taylor on the Drums.the arrangements compliment a nice trade off between the Byrd's playing&His leadership skils. Donald Byrd is One of the Most Versatile Musicians in the History of Jazz. this is a good place to start to appreciate some of his earlier work.

Among the 12 recent Blue Note RVG reissues, two are albums by Donald Byrd featuring Pepper Adams, "Royal Flush" (see my review) and this title "Off to the Races." (The trumpeter and the bari-saxophonist do make glorious music together, and all of their non-live sessions have been available for some time in the 6CD Mosaic set "The Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Studio Sessions.") This December 21, 1958 session is Byrd's first as a leader for Blue Note, and he is joined additionally by Jackie McLean on alto sax, and the formidable rhythm trio of Wynton Kelly on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums. The material here is very similar to that on "Byrd in Hand" (see my review) -- straight ahead hard bop with excellent front-line interplay. However, I would think the general jazz public would rather have "Chant" or "The Cat Walk" re-released, instead of this above average blowing session. But at the rate that Donald Byrd titles are coming out lately, maybe we'll see them too shortly. And for now, enjoy the start of Byrd's long Blue Note race.