Donald Byrd Cookin’ With Blue Note At Montreux

Description

In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the labels stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Produced by Blue Note President George Butler, live albums all titled Live: Cookin with Blue Note at Montreux followed from vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, organist Ronnie Foster, flutist Bobbi Humphrey, and vocalist Marlena Shaw, but one of the performances by trumpeter Donald Byrd remained unreleased in the Blue Note vaults, until now.

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. Byrd led a 10-piece band that included Larry Mizell on synthesizers, Fonce Mizell on trumpet and vocals, Allan Barneson tenor saxophone and flute, Nathan Davis on soprano and tenor saxophone, Kevin Toney on electric piano, Barney Perry on electric guitar, Henry Franklin on electric bass, Keith Killgo on drums, and Ray Armando on congas and percussion. The set list includes Larry Mizells tune Black Byrd along with otherwise unrecorded Byrd originals like The East, Kwame, and Poco-Mania, as well as an excellent cover of Stevie Wonders Youve Got It Bad Girl. –Blue Note