Donald Byrd With Strings (aka September Afternoon) (plus Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill

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A heck of a rare slice of Donald Byrd's career – a rare "with strings" session, recorded in 1957, but never issued until a brief 1982 LP on Discovery! The set also marks a rare early large set of arrangements by Clare Fischer – who backs up Byrd's shimmering trumpet lines with some great strings on the album – making for a moody session that's also got some nice modernist touches underneath. Given Byrd's Parisian recordings, and his work for a variety of labels at the time (this one was supposedly done for Warner Brothers), it's interesting to hear his more open style before it was clamped into the tighter Blue Note groove of the 60s. Titles include "Varmeland", "Lazy Afternoon", "Moon Mist", "I'm A Fool To Want You", "Dearly Beloved", and "September Afternoon". Added to this session is a slightly unusual choice – a much harder-edged quartet session from 1956 – Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill. The hard-to-find recording was originally cut for the obscure Transition label, and features a very different side than some of Byrd's other early two-leader sessions – especially as he blows with a warmth and moodiness that we don't normally hear from him at this point. The rest of the group includes Ray Santisi piano, Doug Watkins bass, and Jim Zitano drums – and titles include "Little Rock Getaway", "If I Love Again", "What's New", and "Stella By Starlight".  © 1996-2024, Dusty Groove, Inc.