Name: Live Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux
Brand: Donald Byrd

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

4599840

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-12-09

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Universal

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0602445998401

Total Cap

1 / Black / LP

4599839

0602445998395

1 / CD

Artist

Donald Byrd

Genre GB

Jazz

Label GB

Blue Note

Donald Byrd was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and educator. Born on December 9, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, he had a prolific career that spanned several decades. Byrd's musical journey began at Cass Tech where he studied classical music under the mentorship of Dr. Harry Begian. He honed his skills playing trumpet in military bands during his time in the Air Force and later graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in music.

Byrd's unique style blended Clifford Brown's warm sound and fluent technique with his own rhythmically loose phrasing. He recorded extensively as both a sideman and leader for labels such as Savoy Records, Prestige, Riverside Records, and Blue Note. Byrd also played alongside baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and gave pianist Herbie Hancock his first major exposure.

As a composer, Byrd showcased his versatility through church-inspired shouts, blues forms, and structurally interesting originals. His influential album "A New Perspective" merged his small group with a gospel choir. Despite his success in the music industry, Byrd never stopped pursuing education; he earned multiple degrees including a master's degree in music education from Manhattan School of Music and a law degree from Howard University.

In addition to his musical achievements, Byrd taught at various universities including Rutgers, Howard University,and North Carolina Central University. In the early 1970s, he

Blue Note is a record label that has made a significant impact in the jazz genre. Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, Blue Note focused on traditional jazz and swing recordings, producing timeless classics. In the 1950s, it became one of the first labels to feature bop musicians. After being acquired by *Universal Music Group* in 1965, Blue Note expanded its repertoire to include more commercially-oriented music like jazz-fusion. Throughout the years, Blue Note underwent various changes in ownership and reissue programs but continued to release new recordings and previously unreleased material.

In 1982, Blue Note catalog reissues began appearing on *United Artists Records*, which was owned by Michael Cuscuna who oversaw the UA-era reissue program. The label was later relaunched as part of *Capitol-EMI's* subsidiary *Manhattan Records* in 1985. It was during this time that Blue Note released key albums from its history and introduced previously unissued material.

In 1989, Blue Note became the division under which all of Capitol-EMI's jazz activities were organized. However, two years later, *Manhattan Records* was revived for smooth jazz and pop-jazz releases while Blue Note continued to thrive as a prominent label within Capitol-EMI's roster.

In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the label’s stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Live albums all titled&nbsp;Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux&nbsp;followed from Bobby Hutcherson, Ronnie Foster, Bobbi Humphrey, and Marlena Shaw, but one of the performances by&nbsp;Donald Byrd remained unreleased&nbsp;in the Blue Note vaults. Now, nearly&nbsp;50 years later, that recording of the great trumpeter’s dynamic set is officially&nbsp;released for the first time ever&nbsp;on what would have been Byrd’s 90th&nbsp;birthday: December 9, 2022.

That summer, Byrd was fresh off the release of his hit crossover fusion album&nbsp;Black Byrd, the first of his innovative and incredibly successful studio collaborations with producer&nbsp;Larry Mizell. But in a live setting the band had a rawer, harder edge, as this searing set attests. Byrd led a 10-piece band that included Larry Mizell on synthesizers,&nbsp;Fonce Mizell&nbsp;on trumpet and vocals,&nbsp;Allan Barnes&nbsp;on tenor saxophone and flute,&nbsp;Nathan Davis&nbsp;on soprano and tenor saxophone,&nbsp;Kevin Toney&nbsp;on electric piano,&nbsp;Barney Perry&nbsp;on electric guitar,&nbsp;Henry Franklin&nbsp;on electric bass,&nbsp;Keith Killgo&nbsp;on drums, and&nbsp;Ray Armando&nbsp;on congas and percussion. The set list includes Larry Mizell’s tune “Black Byrd” along with otherwise unrecorded Byrd originals like “The East,” “Kwame,” and “Poco-Mania,” as well as an excellent cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You’ve Got It Bad Girl.”

Live Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux

Music GB