Donald Byrd – Live: Cookin' With Blue Note At Montreux (2022)

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, July 5, 1973. While the Mizell Brothers didn't produce this particular Byrd album, they were in the band on that date. Also in the band were four of Byrd's students who would go on to form the Blackbyrds.

From the Blue Note website:

In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the label’s stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. That summer, Byrd was fresh off the release of his hit crossover fusion album Black Byrd, the first of his innovative and incredibly successful studio collaborations with producer Larry Mizell. But in a live setting the band had a rawer, harder edge, as this searing set attests. Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux is released on what would have been the legendary trumpeter’s 90th birthday — December 9, 2022.

Even though Black Byrd had just been released, the band only plays the title track from that album here. The remainder of the album sounds like the whole band had been listening only to In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew for months because the arrangements on this live date greatly resemble those pioneered by Miles & Company a few years earlier. Not as slick as the Byrd/Mizell studio albums and the rougher live edge is just gritty enough to enjoy. I dig the whole album and am hypnotized into a fusion trance while listening. I'd love to read a first-hand account of what that show was like. Other performers at the festival that night included Alphonse Mouzon, Bobbi Humphrey, Bobby Hutcherson, Marlena Shaw, and Ronnie Foster. What a line up!

CD liner notes from Larry Mizell and Don Was, the president of Blue Note Records.

Byrd – trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
Fonce Mizell – trumpet, vocals
Allan Barnes – tenor saxophone, flute
Nathan Davis – tenor and soprano saxophone
Kevin Toney – electric piano
Larry Mizell – synthesizers
Barney Perry – electric guitar
Henry Franklin – electric bass
Keith Killgo – drums and vocals
Ray Armando – congas and percussion

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: The album kicks off with the funky Black Byrd, followed by a stellar cover of Stevie Wonder's You've Got It Bad Girl, then three otherwise unrecorded Byrd originals: The East, Kwame, and Poco-Mania. Kwame has an annoying start with some unnecessarily strident synth sounds, but eventually settles into a more relaxed groove. As with the Miles Davis albums mentioned above, just hit the play button and let it cook. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Love Byrd (1981)	Street Lady (1974)
Caricatures (1976)	Black Byrd (1973)
Stepping Into Tomorrow (1975)	A New Perspective (1964)

Donald Byrd - Caricatures (1976)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2003 Rare Groove Series Edition.

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

More smooth funk-jazz music from Byrd and the Mizells. But by 1976, disco was in full swing and that style of dance music definitely had an impact on this recording. Is it still jazz? Depends who you ask and how seriously they take themselves. But for a guy like me who simply can't stand still as the CD spins, Caricatures is hard to dismiss as it fully commits to the bit. The grooves feel so good and danceable you forget to miss the lack of traditional improv. It may not be jazz in the pure sense, but it is, undeniably, a good time. I guess that was the point and one I can fully support.

The album didn't carry any liner notes, sadly. Caricatures was Byrd's final album for the Blue Note label before moving to Elektra. It was also Byrd's fifth and final release produced by the Mizell Brothers. And if you are of a certain age and inclination, the cover artist is immediately identifiable as Al Hirschfeld.

Reviews/ratings:

• Record World: "disco arrangements expertly performed"
• High Fidelity: "Byrd's trumpet playing has indeed become a caricature of the crisp inventiveness of his earlier years."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #60
• Billboard Jazz: #7
• Billboard R&B: #12
• CashBox: #133
• CashBox Jazz: #6
• Record World Jazz: #5

Tracks: Granted, Blue Note didn't know anything about 12" dance remixes nor marketing to the disco crowd, but some of these tracks should have charted on Billboard's dance charts. Ah, well. My top picks are the title track, Return Of the King, and Onward 'Til Morning. Plus I'd love an instrumental version of Dance Band, because with that title, those grooves, and a tasty solo from Ernie Watts, the track is more of a command than a suggestion. There's nothing to skip, but the disc has a lull in the middle with Science Funktion and a cover of Dancing In the Street. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Love Byrd (1981)
Stepping Into Tomorrow (1975)
Street Lady (1974)
Black Byrd (1973)
A New Perspective (1964)

Donald Byrd - Black Byrd (1973)

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

This album marks the first collaboration between Donald Byrd and the Mizells. In 1973, after years of more traditional hard bop and post-bop jazz, Byrd, who by then was teaching at Howard University, decided to reinvent himself. The collaborative took the current commercial trends in soul & funk music and used those grooves with jazz instrumentation. It wasn't quite 'Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk Festival' but it was quite a departure. I'm forever grateful for Byrd's pivot here because I deeply dig this groove-first, hook-driven music built around electric piano and rhythm section with a smattering of familiar jazz tropes. This initial album has quite a bit of Byrd's playing and singing; those particular contributions seemed to become less and less prevalent as the Byrd/Mizell collaboration continued. The album is more about creating an environment than showing off technical skills and I am certainly mighty comfy in such environs.

There's quite a few familiar names among the session players, including some Crusaders:

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the now-defunct category of Best R&B Instrumental Performance. It was best-selling album of all time on the Blue Note label until surpassed by Come Away With Me by Norah Jones.

Original liner notes by noted syndicated columnist Gertrude Gipson.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "melodically flowing and perfect for grooving at home"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #36
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #2
• Record World Jazz: #1

All tracks written or co-written, produced, and arranged by Larry Mizell. Ranked in order of personal preference:

1. Flight Time
2. Sky High
3. Love's So Far Away
4. Black Byrd (#19 R&B, #88 pop) I'm guessing this was chosen for a single release because of its similarity to the 1971 smash hit, Theme From Shaft.
5. Mr. Thomas
6. Where Are We Going?
7. Slop Jar Blues

Yes, I generally prefer the tracks that have very few or no vocals. At least I'm consistent.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Love Byrd (1981)
Stepping Into Tomorrow (1975)
Street Lady (1974)
A New Perspective (1964)

Donald Byrd - Street Lady (1974)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1997 release in Blue Note's Rare Groove Series.

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

The second album collaboration between Byrd and the Mizells. Yes, it's loaded with plenty of the same sort of smooth funk-lite music that meets at the intersection of jazz and R&B. From looking at the cover, one might expect a concept album about prostitution, but I'm just not hearing it. I think it was more of a marketing move made to capitalize on the trendy blaxploitation-film aesthetic of the time. If it was meant to convey a gritty-but-polished urban feel, I think they've done that. In any case, it's definitely Mizell music with the support of players such as Roger Glenn (flute), Chuck Rainey (bass), Harvey Mason (drums), and Freddie Perren (ARP synthesizer). Perren was a part of "The Corporation" at Motown Records along with Fonce Mizell. I'll admit that at times some of the grooves get unnecessarily repetitive and this is my least favorite of the albums Byrd did with Larry Mizell producing, but the tracks certainly fit in well with any Mizell Brothers playlist you might be putting together.

Reviews/ratings:

• Record World: "very strong"
• Billboard: "fine musical experience"
• DownBeat (★★): "depthless one-chord showcases, replete with monotony"
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #33
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Billboard R&B: #6
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: 6 tracks, all written, arranged, and produced by Larry Mizell. My favorites are Sister Love and Woman Of The World.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but since this music is already putting me in "summer mode," I'm making my favorite baked bean recipe today. I'm in a good mood, so I'll share my recipe so you can take your next backyard grillfest up a notch:

DOC'S FAMOUS BRISKET BEANS

Ingredients:

• 28 oz can baked beans (I use Bush's Original)
• 8 oz smoked brisket, chopped or diced
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
• 2.5 oz sweet onion, finely chopped
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste (if your brisket has a peppery bark, you might not need any pepper)

Lightly sauté the onions in a skillet. Throw all ingredients in a slow cooker, cook on low for around 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-6. Easily doubled (and should be often because the leftovers reheat beautifully). I suppose the recipe could be made substituting other smoked meats, so if you live in a part of the country that prefers BBQ pork and a mustard-based sauce, give it a try and please report back. Sweet mama my house smells fantastic.

Printable recipe card.

current view of the official CDP HQ slow cooker

Well, that certainly took me beyond the scope of this blog. As you were.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stepping Into Tomorrow (1975)
Love Byrd (1981)
A New Perspective (1964)

Donald Byrd - Stepping Into Tomorrow (1975)

Japanese import

MIZELL BROTHERS MONTH (APRIL 2026)

As the weather warms, I lately find myself drifting towards '70s jazz-funk albums such as Music Is My Sanctuary and the sort found on the Capitol Rare compilations. Then friend o' the blog Dirk Digglinator pointed out that many of those "summery" grooves I dig come from the writing and production of brothers Larry & Fonce Mizell who, in my vivid imagination, always wore sunglasses when seated at the studio's mixing console. And since we've already got high temperatures in the 90s here in San Antonio, let's get out the sunscreen and spin some Mizell Brothers discs while throwing some well-seasoned brisket in the smoker.

I don't know exactly what it is about this stuff that makes it summer music for me. Lots of tight, hypnotic, infectious, shimmering mid-tempo grooves featuring wah-wah pedals, silky keyboards, and basslines that refuse to sit still. Grooves are tight but never in a hurry. I can imagine I'm cutting through the morning fog into the sunshine as I drive my convertible along the coast. It all sounds the same yet it all sounds different. So what if DownBeat gave it a "tepid quasi-funk" label? We like what we like and judging by chart positions, I'm far from the only who enjoys these grooves.

There's not much playing from Byrd on this one; many tunes could just as easily been credited to saxophonist Gary Bartz. Then again, this album is all about feel, not blistering solos or virtuoso flexing. The occasional, wordless, high-flying whistle register vocals from Lorraine Kenner are impressive but often distracting. There I go nit-picking again. The vocals must not have bothered younger generations as the album became a sampling goldmine decades later, proving that sometimes a song’s true destiny is to be chopped up by DJs who weren’t even born when Byrd recorded the thing.

Reviews/ratings:

• Record World: "Byrd's best set yet"
• Billboard: "Producer Larry Mizell has himself in for additional points by contributing five tunes, so the LP really carries his imprimateur [sic]."
• DownBeat (no rating): "faceless tepid quasi-funk"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #42
• Billboard Jazz: #2
• Billboard R&B: #7
• CashBox: #42
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: Think Twice was released as a single and bubbled under the Hot 100 at #104. Shoulda charted higher but you already knew that. It's fantastic along with Makin' It and the mixed-meter Design A Nation. But really, you should just sit back and let this whole thing simmer as you catch some rays out back while minding the smoker. 😎

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, other than the summer vibes mentioned above.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Love Byrd (1981)
A New Perspective (1964)

Donald Byrd - A New Perspective (1964)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1999 Rudy Van Gelder Edition.

Truth in advertising! The title alone indicates this thing is different. After checking out the liner notes and track list (Elijah, Beast Of Burden, Cristo Redentor, The Black Disciple, Chant), the vibe here is obvious:

Donald's most unique venture so far is this evocative fusion of voices with jazz instrumentalists in a setting which is itself a fresh intertwining of traditional religious feelings with modern, jazz-infused idioms.

So we're getting a "spiritual-like" album from a fellow PK (Byrd's dad was a Methodist minister, my own was a Presbyterian minister. Close enough.) The first thing a fresh listener notices is the wordless timbre of a gospel choir. Not at all expected; as I mentioned, this thing is different. Then a stellar cast of instrumentalists enter the fray and we start swinging, but the vocals remain a part of the instrumentation throughout.

I can only imagine what a trip listening to this album must have been upon release because it's still pretty trippy. I always appreciate artists that push boundaries, even if I don't like the results of that push. But that's not the case here. This disc isn't something I play often, but I enjoy it for a nice change of pace every now and then.

Byrd - trumpet
Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone
Donald Best - vibes
Kenny Burrell - guitar
Herbie Hancock - piano
Butch Warren - bass
Lex Humphries - drums

As one would expect, there are great performances from Mobley, Burrell, and Hancock, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the solo contributions from Best, an artist I admittedly don't know much about.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "off-beat, interesting set"
• Billboard: "a sort of jazz gospel montage of images"
• DownBeat (★★★★½): "one of the most impressive and important efforts of 1964"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★

In 2017, it was ranked at #194 on Pitchfork's list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Update: In 2024, uDiscover Music ranked this album at #31 on its list of The 50 Greatest Blue Note Albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #110

Tracks: The Pitchfork list mentioned above describes the album as "a sort of symphony in five movements that incorporated blues, doo-wop, and even opera into its more conspicuous hard bop and liturgical influences." So the thing is meant to be heard top-to-bottom and (after I got over my initial puzzlement with the vocals) I dig the whole thing. Nevertheless, my top tracks include the joyous opener, Elijah, and the hymn-like Cristo Redentor. The latter inspired by Duke Pearson's 1961 arrival in Rio de Janeiro and seeing the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Love Byrd (1981)

Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. - Love Byrd (1981)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2007 Wounded Bird reissue.

Last fall, I purchased an album by jazz vibist Roy Ayers which sent me on a disco-fusion journey - I purchased/listened to a lot of such music from the late '70s/early '80s, including releases from trumpeter Donald Byrd with the Mizell Brothers. For this love-themed album, Byrd teamed up with Memphis legend Isaac Hayes instead of the Mizells. Oddly, the result reminds me more of Earth, Wind & Fire than either artist's previous work and that's not intended as an insult. Maybe it's just me. There's not much of Byrd's horn playing on the thing, but I dig the tunes and grooves. Overall, an enjoyable album.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "stands as some of Ike Hayes' most tasteful work to date"
• Record World: "Byrd's return to the recording scene is an auspicious one"
• Record Mirror (★★★★): "mighty and inspired"
• Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★
• Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #93
• Billboard Jazz: #7
• Billboard R&B: #15
• CashBox: #82
• CashBox Jazz: #3

Tracks: True to the name of the album, 5 of the 7 tracks have the word "love" in their titles. The lead track, Love Has Come Around, peaked at #4 on the dance charts and #15 on the R&B chart. It's a great disco tune and might have even scored higher if it had been released a few years earlier. The other tracks are more in the EWF vein I mentioned earlier, except the final track which has more of an early '70s Marvin Gaye feel. The only misstep is track 6, a version of Cole Porter's Love For Sale, and you really don't realize what's going on for a while because the disco beat is going and there's some funky Clavinet playing. Then about a minute in, the familiar Porter tune enters the game and stops you in your tracks while you scratch your head (how's that for a mixed metaphor?).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Speaking of love, around the time this album was released in 1981, I had a huge crush on a girl who played alto saxophone in the band. In typical adolescent fashion, she was a year older and half a foot taller than me. No matter. I pestered the heck out of her, always sidling up next to her at lunch, band practices, bus rides, Friday night football games. Fortunately for her, my phone game was nonexistent at that point in my life so I didn't bother her at home. I must have been more exasperating than flirtatious, but what did I know? She never told me to get the hell away from her, but it eventually occurred to me that I had taken up permanent residence in the proverbial friend zone, so I quickly moved on to focus my affections on some other unlucky young lady. But that really doesn't have much to do with this Byrd album other than coincidental timing, so never mind. As you were.