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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBYRD, Donald(b 9 December 1932, Detroit; d 4 February 2013) Trumpet, leader, academic. Fame as member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers from late '55; freelanced, toured, made films in Europe. Albums beginning '55 on Transition (First Flight later on Delmark, with Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris and others), Savoy, Columbia, Verve, Bethlehem etc; September Afternoon '57 on Discovery had pianist Clare Fischer and strings. His long series of Blue Note LPs began '58; A New Perspective '63 included 'Christo Redentor', a hymn written and arranged by Duke Pearson; personnel included Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Burrell etc and the Coleridge Perkinson Choir: Byrd was moving away from straight Blue Note hard bop. Electric Byrd '70 used a twelve-piece group with Pepper Adams, Airto, Ron Carter, and Pearson on electric piano; Stepping Into Tomorrow '74 included whistling, synthesizer, background vocals; Black Byrd '73, a sextet arranged by Larry Mizell, was the biggest-selling album in Blue Note's history, but the label was soon staggering after changing hands. Meanwhile Byrd obtained college degrees, teaching experience and a doctorate at Columbia U. '71, also studied law; became an ethnomusicologist, concerned about black music taken seriously in academia. Three albums on Elektra Musician '78-82 were described by a discography as soul music. As Chairman of Black Music at Howard U. he started Blackbyrds with students, producing their eponymous debut on Fantasy (didn't play on it), first of eight slick funk outings charting in Billboard '74-81. Byrd was accused by critics of selling out, but in every generation for decades blacks have shown whites how to do it: disco-funk etc was not new in that respect, but a spinoff from the Blue Note jazz of '50s-60s. He taught late '70s at North Carolina Central College. His Harlem Blues '87 on Landmark had Mulgrew Miller on piano, Kenny Garrett on alto, Rufus Reid on bass, Marvin 'Smitty' Smith on drums; he stayed on that label with Getting Down To Business '90 and A City Called Heaven '91 with good lineups. |