Donald Byrd • Byrd Blows On Beacon Hill

 

Review by Thom Jurek
This 1956 (released in 1957) session is Donald Byrd's quartet session. Utilizing a rhythm section of Beacon Hill's finest -- bassist Doug Watkins, pianist Ray Santisi, and drummer Jim Zitano -- Byrd establishes himself here as an individual voice on the trumpet and as a leader as well. The material is comprised of well-known standards and catalog jazz tunes such as "Stella by Starlight," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," "People Will Say We're in Love," "If I Love Again," and "What's New"; it's hardly the high-flying hard bop material that became his signature during his early years at Blue Note. Mostly the pace is slow, easy, and swinging, with enough of the funky blues Byrd would blow later to make these nuggets sound interesting. Byrd's interpretation of older material like this was one of both observance and phrasing. He never overplays either on the vamping lyric or in his solos. Likewise, his rhythm section keeps things spare, if not necessarily simple. Nowhere is this more evident than in "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," where the melody is inverted after the first three choruses have been played, but it is never overstated or broken apart, just observed and actively pursued for its chromatic richness. Byrd's tone is not quite as biting as it would become in later years, though it is imbued with the same ghostly timbral grace that distinguished him as a soloist. While this date may not be of interest to Byrd's soul-jazz fans, it will no doubt enlighten those who are partial to Byrd's early Blue Note material.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/byrd-blows-on-beacon-hill-mw0000900883

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Reseña de Thom Jurek
Esta sesión de 1956 (publicada en 1957) es la sesión de cuarteto de Donald Byrd. Utilizando una sección rítmica de lo mejor de Beacon Hill -el bajista Doug Watkins, el pianista Ray Santisi y el baterista Jim Zitano- Byrd se establece aquí como una voz individual en la trompeta y también como líder. El material se compone de estándares conocidos y temas de jazz de catálogo como "Stella by Starlight", "Polka Dots and Moonbeams", "People Will Say We're in Love", "If I Love Again" y "What's New"; no es el material hard bop de alto vuelo que se convirtió en su firma durante sus primeros años en Blue Note. En su mayoría, el ritmo es lento, fácil y oscilante, con el suficiente funky blues que Byrd tocaría más tarde para hacer que estas piezas suenen interesantes. La interpretación de Byrd de material más antiguo como éste era tanto de observancia como de fraseo. Nunca exagera ni en la letra vampírica ni en sus solos. Del mismo modo, su sección rítmica mantiene las cosas en su sitio, aunque no necesariamente en su sencillez. En ninguna parte es esto más evidente que en "Polka Dots and Moonbeams", donde la melodía se invierte después de que se hayan tocado los tres primeros estribillos, pero nunca se exagera ni se rompe, sólo se observa y se persigue activamente por su riqueza cromática. El tono de Byrd no es tan mordaz como lo sería en años posteriores, aunque está impregnado de la misma gracia tímbrica fantasmal que le distinguía como solista. Si bien esta fecha puede no ser de interés para los fans del soul-jazz de Byrd, sin duda iluminará a aquellos que tienen debilidad por el primer material de Blue Note de Byrd.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/byrd-blows-on-beacon-hill-mw0000900883

Tracklist
1 - Little Rock Getaway -
2 - Polka Dots And Moonbeams -
3 - People Will Say We're In Love -
4 - If I Love Again -
5 - What's New -
6 - Stella By Starlight -


Credits:
    Bass – Doug Watkins
    Drums – Jim Zitano
    Piano – Ray Santisi
    Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
    Trumpet – Donald Byrd


Label: Transition
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Released: 1956
Genre: Jazz
Style: Hard Bop
https://www.discogs.com/Donald-Byrd-Byrd-Blows-On-Beacon-Hill/release/4808326

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