By b.soul (205.188.209.9) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 12:53 pm:

How is Donald Byrd doing? Is he well. I haven'theard anything new by him in almost 13 years. His album BLACKBYRD is one of my all time favorites.

By manny (80.58.52.235) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 02:38 pm:

Hello B.soul,

I'm also wondered about this great trumpeter and precursor of acid-jazz (as are considered in the acid jazz aficionados circuite).
The last thing i have heard by him is his two collaborations in Guru's "Jazzmatazz" and "Jazzmatazz vol. 2" (where appears with Ramsey lewis, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith,...).
I likes a lot his «And 125th Street, NYC» album, particullary "Veronica" is "spiritual"!

Peace!

By zeke (205.188.209.9) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 02:59 pm:

B.Soul, check out the links below... Dr. Donald Byrd may be somewhere teaching a whole new generation of musicians...


http://www.angelfire.com/stars3/casstech/donaldbyrd.html

http://www.thejazzfiles.com/JazzByrd.htm

By Jim G (205.188.209.9) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 08:30 pm:

Dr. Byrd played at Baker's last year.
He'll be coming back for a three day celebration of Baker's 70th anniversary in eary May. Stay tuned for details...

By ~medusa~ (68.79.121.175) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 09:53 pm:

I thought Donald Byrd had passed away a few year ago...

By Greg C. (165.247.45.177) on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 10:07 pm:

I had heard that he hadn't been in the best of health recently. Glad to hear he still around and making music. His fusion stuff from the 70's especially "Places & Spaces" is stellar.

By Wonder B (81.50.171.22) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 12:01 am:

His productions were also great, from the Blackbyrds to Three Pieces and their great and only album Vibes of Truth...

Wonder B

By Tyrone (209.219.209.68) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 12:29 am:

My favorite Donald Byrd's recording is his collaboration with Isaac Hayes and 125th Street NYC ---"LOVE HAS COME AROUND". One of my favorite tracks, love that jam and love the album better.

Tyrone

As soon as I leave work tonight, I'm gonna play my cdr of this album in my vehicle. Makes me feel good, yeah!

By roger (217.35.87.17) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 01:36 pm:

Hello Everyone.

I find DONALD BYRD's recordings fantastic. They are so layered that I find I'm always hearing something new each time I listen to them.

Particular favourites of mine are "Places and Spaces", "Lanasana's Princess" and "Loving You".

A few years back I used to always have London's JAZZ-FM on in the morning (when ROBBIE VINCENT was the presenter). Now, Uncle Robbie was/is a HUGE fan of Donald Byrd, and often used to use a snippet (2-3 seconds) from a DB tune in his "spot the tune" competitions. Usually I am quite good at these things, and nine times out of ten I can spot a tune immediately .. but whenever he used one of Mr Byrd's recordings I could never quite place it .. the funny thing was that I would always KNOW it was Donald Byrd, but be unable to place the exact track. Very frustrating, but to me a strange indication of how inventive the music was!!

And lets not forget his collaberations with THE BLACKBYRDS ..... I likes to Party!!!

Roger

By ISAIAH (205.188.209.9) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 01:46 pm:

Hey, Donald Byrd is one of the GREAT jazz trumpeters of all times - of all times!!! And yet this man was able to handle the less than virtuousic, in-the-pocket, world of R&B/Funk/Soul without breaking a sweat... Who says that there aren't great musicians out here to play Motown-like riffs??? That's child's play compared to what these jazz cats can do... After all, weren't the Funk Brothers, essentially, a Jazz-schooled group anyway? My favorite Donald Byrd piece was Flight Time... Vintage Jazz played at it's funkiest and most soulful...

Peace!
Isaiah

By LadyMystique (216.222.240.137) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:31 pm:

Donald Byrd is BADD! One of my favorites is LANASANA'S PRIESTESS.

By RD (65.54.97.192) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:34 pm:

Donald Byrd was at his absolute best when he recorded "Cristo Redentor," a jazz classic.

By Isaiah (152.163.253.70) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:41 pm:

What's up, RD?! Yep, now that's a great song, as well... Gots to be Mellow, huh, RD?(smile!)

Peace!
Isaiah

By LadyMystique (216.222.240.137) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:49 pm:

There was an album I liked also about a woman...I forgot the title of the album though...I wish I could think of it!

By Rasputin (68.42.95.82) on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 11:33 pm:

RD ..... damn, you went wayyyyy back with that one. Leon Issac (Leon the Lover) used to use it as his sign on/off - WGPR Radio (Detroit) back-in-the-day.

Have you ever heard DB's "I'm Tryin' To Get Home" (Donald Byrd, Brass With Voices)???

By Juicefree20 (141.149.61.110) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 12:23 am:

What was amazing to me is that he was 40 years old when he was kicking out those classic funk jams with The Blackbyrds. I never knew the name of Cristo Redentor until I saw it in the credits of A Bronx Tale.
Those of us that weren't versed in Jazz (ME), had no idea of his Jazz Roots. We thought that he was a brand new artist. We also thought the same of Maurice White & The Emotions. I'm glad that info is so much easier to obtain these days.

Lady, is the LP that you're thinking of named Street Lady from 1981? Let me know.
Peace to all!

Juice

By RD (65.54.98.26) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 03:13 am:

Rasputin, I believed Leon Issac used the song on his radio program when he worked in Cleveland at WABQ too.

Never heard the tune you mentioned.

Zeke it doesn't get any mellower than Byrd's "Cristo Redentor." He was in a zone on that one.

By LadyMystique (216.37.229.14) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 08:55 pm:

Juice-yeah...it was STREET LADY! I am trying to get the CD.

By Jim G (152.163.253.70) on Tuesday, March 23, 2004 - 10:47 pm:

Dr. Donald Byrd will appear in Detroit on Sunday, May 2, 2:00 pm at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History as part of a three day celebration of the 70th anniversay of Baker's Keyboard Lounge. Louis Hayes and Curtis Fuller will perform with Dr. Byrd.

Dr. Byrd will play at Baker's on Sunday nite, Monday nite, and Tuesday nite. He'll be featured with a different group each nite.

I'll post ticket prices and more details tomorrow.

By bigdaddyg2k4 (205.138.55.65) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 05:15 pm:

Donald Byrd really hit the mark when he formed the Blackbyrds in the early '70s. Whatever happened to them anyway?

By Juicefree20 (68.161.48.203) on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 07:40 pm:

Kevin Toney records as a Jazz artist. He has had several CD releases since the 90s. I'm not sure about the rest of the fellas

Juice

By Handsome (170.118.158.14) on Tuesday, April 06, 2004 - 05:21 pm:

Tyrone, that is the cut (Love Has Come Around)!

It is on a cd called "80's Soul Weekender"

I's got to have it :o)

Handsome

By Wonder B (81.50.171.93) on Wednesday, April 07, 2004 - 08:05 am:

The BLACKBYRDS are still touring these days... I know that a friend of mine went to the Jazz Cafe in London a couple of months ago to see them and the whole place was on fire! LOL
They regularly come over to Europe...

Wonder B