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 - 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)

Brother Jack McDuff - Down Home Style (1969)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1997 Rare Groove Series Edition.

I was introduced to this album by the inclusion of track 6, Butter (For Yo Popcorn), on the 1991 Blue Note compilation, So Blue So Funky: Heroes Of The Hammond. That whole disc is so good, I once wrote "if you can sit still while listening to these grooves, I don't think we should see each other anymore" and I meant it. Like any good compilation CD of that sort, it sent me scrambling to find a copy of Down Home Style and here we are.

Meeting at the corner of jazz and R&B, the music on this album is earthy and raw but tuneful, leaning heavily into blues and soul. This departure from '60s hard bop obviously upset some of the jazz purists (see DownBeat review below), but I dig the heck out of it. And the soul food of the cover photo perfectly illustrates the moods and grooves of the album. In other words, you can judge this book by its cover. Go fix yourself a helping.

McDuff - organ
Jay Arnold - tenor saxophone
Charlie Freeman - guitar
Sammy Greason - drums
The electric bass player is uncredited; some sources list James Alexander.
Other horns uncredited.
Recorded June 10, 1969 in Memphis, most likely at Lyn Lou Studios.

Original liner notes by Alan Grant, then host of 'Portraits of Jazz' on WMJR, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "rhythm-happy jazz improvisations with that down home flavor of home cookin'."
• CashBox: "a solid, funky set...heavily influenced by the currently popular Memphis-style sound."
• Record World: "Brother Jack does a great deal of grooving on this new album."
• Downbeat (★): "I didn't enjoy the McDuff collection at all."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #192
• Billboard R&B: #20

Tracks: We're treated to 6 originals by McDuff and two covers: Hoagy Carmichael's Memphis In June plus Groovin', originally by The Young Rascals. Track 4, Theme From Electric Surfboard, was released as a single and peaked at #48 R&B, #95 pop. All worth your while, but my favorites this go-round are the title track, It's All A Joke, Butter (For Yo Popcorn), and Groovin'.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Lonnie Smith - Live At Club Mozambique (1995)

Recorded live at Club Mozambique, Detroit, on May 21, 1970, finally released in 1995.

Best known for his work in the bands of George Benson and Lou Donaldson, master of the Hammond B-3 Lonnie Smith leads his own group on this release. A hot live session of solid jazz-funk-soul grooves (heavy on the funk) featuring a great band:

Smith - organ
Dave Hubbard - tenor saxophone
Ronnie Cuber - bass
George Benson - guitar
Joe Dukes - drums
Gary Jones - conga
Clifford Mack - tambourine

Sounds like everybody was having a great time and I'm sure the crowd in attendance couldn't hold still. Complete liner notes available here.

Focusing on soul-jazz reissues, Blue Note introduced its Rare Groove Series in 1995 as a somewhat belated response to the acid jazz scenes in England. Of this initial bunch of releases, CMJ New Music Report labeled this album as "the best of the bunch." I'm not in the market for the other releases in the series, but ya never know.

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

Tracks: 6 of the 8 tracks are credited to Smith, plus two covers of familiar tunes. I don't believe the credits are entirely accurate because the lead track is a James Brown tune, but writing credits don't concern me much as a listener. Most grooves are reminiscent of Brown or The Meters. Of the originals, my top picks are I Can't Stand It and Scream, while Benson's best solo is on Track 5, Love Bowl. Track 2, Expressions, is more bebop than funk, but the band certainly cooks. My least favorite track is Peace Of Mind, partially because of the misogynistic lyrics and partially because Smith sings when he should stick to organ. The album closes with a great cover of Sly Stone's Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) followed by a frantic take on Miles Davis's Seven Steps to Heaven.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Evolution (2016)

Gary Bartz - Music Is My Sanctuary (1977)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2003 release in Blue Note's Rare Groove Series.

"Music is my sanctuary when life puts that ju ju on me."

Those lyrics from the title track may seem silly but man-oh-man did I ever need the sweet, soothing balm of this album because life has been putting that ju ju on me - and the rest of the world - of late. Probably not jazzy enough (whatever that means) for "serious" musicians, this blend of soul, funk, R&B, disco, and jazz is a helluva fun ride.

Bartz's playing is superb on both alto and soprano and he's joined by familiar names such as Syreeta Wright, Mtume, Eddie Henderson, etc. Produced by Larry and Fonce Mizell and if you recognize those names and their work in the '70s, you are welcome here any time. Because of the brothers' involvement, it's easy to make comparisons between this album and Donald Byrd's mid-'70s work.

My copy of Rolling Stone's Jazz & Blues Album guide dismisses this phase of Bartz's career entirely with one sentence: "at one point in the '1970s Bartz was making disco records...and doing very little playing of merit." I think they missed the boat, but there's still time for you to jump on board.

A graduate of Julliard, Bartz played with Miles Davis, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and McCoy Tyner. He is currently Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Oberlin College and Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #26
• CashBox Jazz: #21
• Record World Jazz: #13

Tracks: 6 tracks, 36 minutes. All worth your time. A couple of tunes here you might have heard before: Love Ballad (a hit for LTD in '76 and George Benson in '79) and Smokey Robinson's Oo Baby Baby (a hit for The Miracles in '65 and Linda Ronstadt in '79). If I had to pick a favorite of the six tracks, I don't think I could. My favorite is whatever I'm currently listening to. As I type these words, I'm enjoying the smooth, soulful, funky closing track, Macaroni.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I originally heard the title track on the compilation Capitol Rare: Funky Notes From The West Coast and finally got around to buying this disc.