Jazz — LPs  

One of Byrd's most fantastic records for Blue Note, and one of the three that he recorded with Sonny Red on alto sax. Byrd and Red work magnificently together, and the two of them play with a tightness and funkiness that's missing from a lot of their other records as leaders. Hank Mobley joins the group on tenor, Walter Booker is on bass, McCoy Tyner's on piano, and Freddie Waits is on drums. The groove is tight and funky, with a mix of hard bop soloing and funkier Blue Note rhythm playing. Red burns throughout, especially on his own "Mustang", and on the cut "Dixie Lee". Other tracks include "Fly Little Bird Fly", "On The Trail", and "I'm So Excited By You".

A great little album – even if it tries to promise too much! The set bills itself as "the swinginest Hammond organ album since the birth of psychedelia" – and while that sort of a claim is so high that nobody could ever match it, the album is a great batch of offbeat soul instrumentals – recorded in kind of a tripped-out take on the Memphis groove! We're not sure who the mysterious "Mustang" is (although it could be Paul Griffin, who also recorded for the same label in a similar mode) – but we're guessing here that the name is also used to convey the fact that many of the tunes have a "Mustang Sally" sort of rhythm. Backing is in a hip small combo mode – with nice go-go drums, tight rhythm guitar, and soulful honking sax behind the organ – and although the sound is more straight soul instrumentals, the titles are nicely tripped-out – and include "The Acid Test", "California Time", "Joshua Got Busted", "Haight Ashbury Time", "Swing Low Sweet Truth", and "Golden Gate Freakout".

A fantastic LP of beautiful modal tracks, played by one of the most underrated reed players ever, during the most fruitful time of his career. At this point, Amy's moved away from his bluesy Texas roots, and has discovered a freer Coltrane-esque sound that works beautifully with his spiritual, strident compositions. Although the record was pushed by Verve with the funkier track "Mustang" (also recorded by Donald Byrd), the record really sounds more like a Nathan Davis record, with a mix of tenor and soprano sax that is extremely spiritual. Tracks include "Mustang" (2 versions), "Shaker Heights", "Enojo", and "Old Devil Moon".

A rock-solid set from Donald Byrd and a great group of players – a record that's got the same sharp edges and dark undercurrents of late 60s classics like Black Jack, Mustang, and Slow Drag! As with those gems, this album's got Donald really experimenting a bit more – especially with the rhythms – which are put forth by a hip trio that features Chick Corea on piano, Miroslav Vitous on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums! But almost even better is the frontline – with Sonny Red making one of his sublime appearances with Byrd, blowing alto with an edge that's amazing – and frequent partner Pepper Adams, adding plenty of baritone on the deep end. The whole thing's great – oddly unreleased until the start of the 80s – and titles include "Samba Yanta", "I Will Wait For You", "Blues Medium Rare", "The Creeper", "Chico-San", "Early Sunday Morning", and "Blues Well Done".