Donald Byrd – Kofi

When you assume you make an ass out of you…but mostly me. 

Months ago, I drew up plans to complete the renovations on my condo with the goal of moving my girlfriend in.  It was a simple plan that involved expanding my closet to a walk in closet, remodeling my bathroom and updating the fixtures, and finally opening up storage space in my attic.  See, certain units in my building have a roof area over part of them that isn’t used.  I made the assumption that mine was one of those units.

I was wrong.

My friend Brian and I carved a hole in my wall in an attempt to see how much space was back there…but we hit a wall.  Literally, a plaster wall.  It was then that Brian suggested we venture onto the roof to see for ourselves what was on the other side of the wall. 

The answer?  Open sky and my AC unit.  No attic.

I guess a hole in my wall is a small price to pay, but I guess next time I should investigate more before cutting into the wall.  Shit, you could even see the roof space on Google maps.

Another assumption you should never make is that all the best music from old artists has already been released, as is the case with this week’s pick – trumpeter Donald Byrd’s “Kofi.” 

Back in the 90’s Blue Note Records and EMI collaborated on a reissue series called Blue Note Rare Groove.  I had picked up a couple of these recordings, many unreleased, and was really impressed with the quality of both the recordings and the material.  This was some prime shit right here!  Unfortunately, most of those CDs are now out of print…although a patient selecta can still grab a copy if you look around.

Byrd was born in Detroit and attended The Cass Technical High School where he soon found himself jamming with Lionel Hampton.  After a stint in the Air Force, he got his bachelors (at Wayne State) and then masters degree in music from The Manhattan School of Music.  While getting his masters, he joined a little group called The Jazz Messengers, led by Art Blakely. Word.

In 1956 though, he left the Messengers and started jamming with all the heavy hitters in the jazz world.  Cats like Coltrane, Monk, and Herbie Hancock. It was during this period that he began to excel at a new brand of jazz called hard-bop, an extension of the Be-Bop style. This sound propelled Byrd all through the sixties until he reached the seventies and began to drift towards a new collaboration of jazz-fusion.  “Kofi” uniquely captures this moment in his career perfectly.

Culled from two separate recording sessions, one in 1969 and the other in 1970, “Kofi” finds Byrd straddling two worlds.  The first two tracks ‘Kofi’ and ‘Fufu’ are pure sixties hard bop, modal jazz and with help from his backing musicians Byrd creates pure magic with the best tracks on the album.  Notably different are the last three songs recorded in 1970.  ‘Perpetual Love,’ “Elmina’ and ‘The Loud Minority’ are proto acid jazz.  Moody and full of funky flavor.

If you’ve never heard of Byrd, or just heard of him in passing and aren’t familiar with his solo work, this is a great piece to own. 

Just don’t assume you already know.

EXTRA CREDIT:  DONALD BYRD  “A NEW PERSPECTIVE”

Frank Sinatra with the Red Norvo Quintet – Live in Australia, 1959

I kind of wish I could say my grandparents had turned me on to Frank Sinatra…because that would sound kind of cool and make it seem as if I had had some kind of hipster grandparents who dug the jazz and knew all the ingredients of a good gimlet.

But, alas, neither set seemed very interested in music at all.  I’m not even sure they were aware that music existed.  My Mother’s parents owned a ranch and raised cattle and quarter horses.  My Dad’s parents…

Well, my Dad’s parents lived in Yuba City.   Google it.

In the end I discovered Frank through people my own age when my friends and I entered our “Lounge” phase in college, Sinatra became a large part of our lives very quickly.  Disgruntled by the fact that no one in our group was in a fraternity, and we weren’t invited to any of the formal parties, we began to throw our own “Lounge Parties.”  And they were a huge hit.

This was nice because the ladies enjoyed the suave atmosphere, music and drinks…and we

enjoyed the ladies.  That and we hired doormen to keep the Greeks out.But regardless of your affiliation or age group, Frank Sinatra is a man whose music has sort of a universal appeal.  This is due not only to the fact that Frank was an amazing badass, but more from his incredibly great taste in producers and musicians.  Frank knew who to pick and when and it served him well. This is what set him apart from his Rat Pack compatriots, and kept his career strong for as long as it lasted. 

When I started listening to Frank, I was a huge fan of his live 1966 album “Sinatra at the Sands.” Here you find Frank in full Vegas mode backed by none other than the Count Basie Orchestra with Quincy Jones producing.  It’s an excellent time capsule for the period, and full of great music…but I wanted more.

More of the more pensive Frank who cut the concept album with Jobim. More of a jazzier Frank.

And in 1997 I got my wish when Blue Note records released the recording of “Frank Sinatra with the Red Norvo Quintet, Live in Australia, 1959 ” It’s quite a mouthful for a title, and as far as I know the only Sinatra recording Blue Note has released, but it ranks up there as one of the best live recordings of the man I’ve ever heard. 

The sound quality is far from stellar…but it was 1959, and despite of the lack of high quality recording equipment, the absolutely stunning energy of the performance lifts this album higher than it might otherwise be. Have a listen to the curtain dropping version of ‘Night and Day’ above.  So stylized by Red Norvo’s Quintet as to be unrecognizable at first, the crowd gives an audible gasp when Frank transitions right into it…smooth as silk.  

Any question that Frank was only as good as his backing band dissipates with the first listen, although that is no swipe at Norvo and his group.  Quite the contrary, it’s Norvo’s sparse arrangements and shimmering vibe work that allow Sinatra the freedom to really stretch his voice on this recording.  And that feeling of relaxed enjoyment from Frank that pushes the envelope here, as is evident on this recording of ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ where he takes a dig at some guy in the front row. 

It’s a feeling of real joy and enjoyment that seems to seep from every nook of this record…right down to Frank’s banter with the obviously enraptured audience.  And after a listen you may count yourself among their number.