LT-991

Donald Byrd - Chant

Released - 1979

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, April 17, 1961
Donald Byrd, trumpet #1-4,6; Pepper Adams, baritone sax; Herbie Hancock, piano; Doug Watkins, bass; Teddy Robinson, drums.

tk.3 I'm An Old Cowhand
tk.6 You're Next
tk.10 Great God
tk.13 Chant
tk.15 Sophisticated Lady
tk.20 That's All

Session Photos

Photos: Francis Wolff

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
I'm An Old Cowhand	J. Mercer	April 17 1961
You're Next	D. Byrd	April 17 1961
Chant	D. Pearson	April 17 1961
Side Two
That's All	A. Brandt-B. Haymes	April 17 1961
Great God	D. Byrd	April 17 1961
Sophisticated Lady	Ellington-Mills-Parish	April 17 1961

Liner Notes

Donald Byrd

At the tender age of 22, Donald Byrd made his imprint on the New York jazz scene, debuting with pianist George Wallington's quintet. In December of that same year (1955), he made an excellent sextet session for Transition. The bassist on that date was Doug Watkins. A month earlier, Donald had participated on Watkins' first album as leader, also for Transition.

What made Donald unique and worthy of notice at such a young age was that he had absorbed the language of Clifford Brown (and before him Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro) and that he still stood fast to a melodic approach to improvisation that encompassed the harmonic sophistication of bebop and the reverence for melody that had preoccupied those who had come before bop. Although he avoided pyrotechnical flash, Donald's complete, sturdy control of the elusive trumpet made his accomplishments all the more vivid.

His work with Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Lou Donaldson and Max Roach drew a great deal of attention, as did his role as a sideman on numerous recordings by these men, Red Garland and John Coltrane. He wasted little time in bringing himself to the forefront, leading The Jazz Lab with alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce.

In 1958, Byrd signed with Blue Note as a leader During that same year, he also teamed up with baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams. In April of that year, they made their recording debut live at the Five Spot under Adams' leadership for Riverside. During the summer and fall, Donald took a group to Europe that included bassist Doug Watkins. Upon his return, a pact with Blue Note was signed, and Off To The Races (BST 84007) with Pepper sharing the front line was the first album.

The team of Byrd and Adams lasted intermittently until the end of 1961, recording five more albums under Byrd's name for Blue Note, one for Bethlehem and yet another under Adams' leadership for Warwick.

Although originally from Illinois, Pepper Adams spent his earliest professional years on the Detroit scene where a potent group of talent was forming which included Byrd, the Jones brothers, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell and Curtis Fuller among others. Arriving in New York in 1956, Adams quickly established himself and was soon recording with the likes of Lee Morgan and Thelonious Monk.

In the sixties, Pepper became a fixture in the New York studios for jazz dates. He was the one to call for the baritone chair. He co-led a quintet for a while with Thad Jones and eventually became a charter member of the Thad Jones- Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

This album is one of Herbie Hancock's first, (if not the first) recording dates. He worked with the Byrd-Adams quintet for much of 1961, appearing on Donald's Royal Flush (Blue Note BST 84101) and Pepper's Warwick date. Donald told Leonard Feather at the time, "Herbie is very learned, very studious, and he sounds almost like a combination of Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal and Hank Jones. He was at Grinnel University and I found him in Chicago, I'm sure he's going to be very important." And Hancock certainly fulfilled his promise, thanks in large part to Donald Byrd, who boosted the pianist's career in many ways during those early New York years.

Doug Watkins, who lost his life in an automobile accident in the early sixties, was a master bassist who dates back to the Detroit days with Donald and was an occasional member of the Byrd-Adams quintet and made frequent appearances on Donald's record date. Watkins was best known for his work in the original Jazz Messengers and the Horace Silver Quintet that evolved out of that unit. He made a number of Blue Note sessions with Hank Mobley among others. Some of his best work lies in the recordings that he made with Yusef Lateef in the early sixties. Throughout this album, Watkins with his rich tone plays strong, sturdy, yet inventive and flowing bass lines that seem to both lift and anchor the music.

The drummer on this date is Eddy Robinson, about whom little is known. In fact, this could well be his only record. His work has the verve and drive of Art Blakey, the master of them all.

The material on this date is quite varied. I'm An Old Cowhand might seem a bizarre choice to interpret in a jazz context, but Sonny Rollins had recorded it and Wagon Wheels on his Way Out West album from 1957 on Contemporary. Grant Green would later record it on one of his Blue Notes from 1964. In fact, the guitarist recorded an entire album of cowboy songs for Blue Note in '62.

Although Donald's recording of Sonny Redd's Western styled West Of The Pecos from the Blackjack album in 1967 holds true to the loping Western rhythm, this version of I'm An Old Cowhand, taken much faster than the original tempo, is a vehicle for some straight ahead blowing.

Of the three originals introduced on this session (You're Next, Great God and Chant), Duke Pearson's Chant went on to bigger things when Donald re-recorded it with voices on his New Perspective album (Blue Note BST 84124) from 1963. It is a haunting theme that weds the Gregorian Chant and sanctified Gospel music, projecting a peaceful, lyrical sense of fulfillment.

The standard That's All had a resurgence in popularity during this period thanks to Bobby Darin. The arrangement here is spritely and nicely voiced with the horns taking different parts in the bridge.

Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Lady is given over entirely to Pepper Adams with Byrd laying out. And Pepper takes full advantage of the opportunity with his impassioned reading of this timeless composition.

Throughout these performances, Byrd's work is especially lyrical. On I'm An Old Cowhand and That's All, he builds whole choruses around the melody in theme and variation style.

This album, recorded on April 17, 1961, is a fine representation on Byrd's style and of the partnership of five years that he shared with Pepper Adams. Just ten years later, Donald and Herbie Hancock were separately funking up on the commercial market, redefining the sound of R&B. Although the players have evolved as any artist must, this music remains fresh and vital 18 years later.

—Michael Cuscuna