This 1961 date by Detroit trumpeter Donald Byrd is one of the many solid sessions he recorded for Blue Note in the 1960s. Featuring a cast of major league then-young lions, including Wayne Shorter, Billy Higgins, Butch Warren, and Herbie Hancock, Byrd goes for the throat of hard bop and does many... [+] Expand

This 1961 date by Detroit trumpeter Donald Byrd is one of the many solid sessions he recorded for Blue Note in the 1960s. Featuring a cast of major league then-young lions, including Wayne Shorter, Billy Higgins, Butch Warren, and Herbie Hancock, Byrd goes for the throat of hard bop and does many extrapolations on the form. There is a beautiful version of Hancock's lush ballad "Night Flower" on the set, but what are far more interesting are the Byrd originals, such as the stomping soul in "Pentecostal Feeling," the knotty, furiously paced title track, and the funky bottom-end harmonies on "Na! Na!" The 2004 remastered Rudy Van Gelder edition includes a bonus cut in Hancock's finger-poppin' "Three Wishes." This one is a must for Byrd fans, and a great introduction to some of his most productive years. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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