A1 	Speculation 	
A2 	Over The Rainbow 	
A3 	Nica's Tempo 	
A4 	Blue Concept 	
B1 	Little Niles 	
B2 	Sans Souci 	
B3 	I Remember Clifford

    Alto Saxophone – Gigi Gryce
    Baritone Saxophone – Sahib Shibab (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3)
    Bass – Wendell Marshall
    Drums – Art Taylor
    Horn – Julius Watkins (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3)
    Piano – Tommy Flanagan (tracks: A1 to A3, B2), Wade Legge (tracks: A4, B1, B3)
    Trombone – Benny Powell (tracks: A1, A3), Jimmy Cleveland (tracks: B1, B3)
    Trumpet – Don Byrd
    Tuba – Don Butterfield (tracks: A1, A3, B1, B3)

In 1957, horn player Donald Byrd and alto sax player Gigi Gryce formed the Jazz Lab to experiment with composition and harmony. The pieces in this collection are truly ensemble works which paved the way for the jazz fusion movement.

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01 Flyght Time 
02 Black Byrd 
03 Love's so far away 
04 Mr. Thomas 
05 Sky High 
06 Slop jam Blues 
07 Where Are We Going

Personnel:
Donald Byrd (Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Electric Trumpet and Vocals) 
Fonce Mizell (Trumpet and Vocals) 
Roger Glenn (Flutes and Saxophones) 
Joe Sample (Piano and Electric Piano) 
Fred Perren (Electric Piano, Synthesizers and Vocals) 
Dean Parks (Guitar) - 1,4 
Wilton Felder (Bass Guitar) - 1,4 
Harvey Mason (Drums) 
Bobby Porter Hall (Percussion) - 1,4 
Larry Mizell (Vocals) 
David T. Walker (Guitar) - 2,3,5-7 
Chuck Rainey (Bass Guitar) - 2,3,5-7 
Stephanie Spruill (Percussion) - 2,3,5-7

Purists howled with indignation when Donald Byrd released Black Byrd, a full-fledged foray into R&B that erupted into a popular phenomenon. Byrd was branded a sellout and a traitor to his hard bop credentials, especially after Black Byrd became the biggest-selling album in Blue Note history. What the elitists missed, though, was that Black Byrd was the moment when Byrd's brand of fusion finally stepped out from under the shadow of his chief influence, Miles Davis, and found a distinctive voice of its own. Never before had a jazz musician embraced the celebratory sound and style of contemporary funk as fully as Byrd did here -- not even Davis, whose dark, chaotic jungle-funk stood in sharp contrast to the bright, breezy, danceable music on Black Byrd. Byrd gives free rein to producer/arranger/composer Larry Mizell, who crafts a series of tightly focused, melodic pieces often indebted to the lengthier orchestrations of Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield. They're built on the most straightforward funk rhythms Byrd had yet tackled, and if the structures aren't as loose or complex as his earlier fusion material, they make up for it with a funky sense of groove that's damn near irresistible. Byrd's solos are mostly melodic and in-the-pocket, but that allows the funk to take center stage. Sure, maybe the electric piano, sound effects, and Roger Glenn's ubiquitous flute date the music somewhat, but that's really part of its charm. Black Byrd was state-of-the-art for its time, and it set a new standard for all future jazz/R&B/funk fusions -- of which there were many. Byrd would continue to refine this sound on equally essential albums like Street Lady and the fantastic Places and Spaces, but Black Byrd stands as his groundbreaking signature statement. ---Steve Huey, Rovi

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1.Dear Old Stockholm
2.Paul's Pal
3.Flute Blues
4.Ray's Idea
5.The Blues Walk

Donald Byrd-trumpet
Bobby Jaspar-tenor sax,flute
Walter Davis,Jr.-piano
Doug Watkins-bass
Art Taylor-drums

Recorded LIVE at Olympia,Paris,oct22,1958

Trumpeter Donald Byrd spent a few months in France during 1958. A Paris concert resulted in two LPs' worth of material which were reissued on this Polydor CD in 1988. Byrd's quintet at the time included Bobby Jaspar (on tenor and flute), pianist Walter Davis, Jr., bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor. Byrd was just beginning to find his own sound in the late '50s and he is in excellent form on "Dear Old Stockholm," Sonny Rollins' "Paul's Pal," Jaspar's "Flute Blues," "Ray's Idea" and "The Blues Walk." This is a fine all-around hard bop session that is equaled by the second CD. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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1.Winterset (7:10)
2.Gotcha Goin' N Comin' (9:51)
3.Long Green (4:28)
4.Stareyes (7:45)
5.Someone To Watch Over Me (7:38)

Donald Byrd-trumpet
Frank Foster-tenor sax
Hank Jones-piano
Paul Chambers-bass
Kenny Clarke-drums

Recorded September 29,1955

Before making his mark with several fine Blue Note albums from the late '50s and throughout the '60s (his stay with the label continued until 1978), trumpeter Donald Byrd got his start with several blowing dates for Savoy, Prestige, and a few other independents. This 1955 date for Savoy pitted Byrd with Basie alum and tenor saxophonist Frank Foster, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Kenny Clarke. The group romps through a mix of standards ("Someone to Watch Over Me," "Star Eyes"), a Foster original ("Winterset"), and some band collaborations. While not on par with Byrd's much more polished efforts for Blue Note, Byrd's Word is fine for fans in the mood for some loose '50s hard bop. --- Stephen Cook, Rovi

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A1	Fancy Free 	11:50
A2	I Love The Girl 	8:35
B1	The Uptowner 	9:05
B2	Weasil 	9:50

Bass – Roland Wilson
Drums – Joe Chambers (tracks: A2, B2), Leo Morris (tracks: A1, B1)
Electric Piano – Duke Pearson
Flute – Jerry Dodgion (tracks: A1, B1), Lew Tabackin (tracks: A2, B2)
Guitar – Jimmy Ponder
Percussion – John Robinson, Nat Bettis
Tenor Saxophone – Frank Foster
Trombone – Julian Priester
Trumpet – Donald Byrd 

1969's Fancy Free marked the beginning of Donald Byrd's move away from hard bop, staking out fusion-flavored territory that -- at this juncture -- owed more to Miles Davis than the R&B-dominated jazz-funk Byrd would embrace several years down the road. Recorded just a few months after Davis' In a Silent Way, Fancy Free finds Byrd leading a large ensemble prominently featuring Frank Foster on tenor, Lew Tabackin or Jerry Dodgion on flute, and several percussionists. But the most important piece of the puzzle is Duke Pearson's electric piano, the first time Byrd utilized the instrument. Pearson dominates the texture of the group sound, which makes the entirety of the session seem farther outside the realm of funky hard bop than it actually is. However, that's not to say that Fancy Free isn't a clear break with Byrd's past -- especially the two Byrd originals that open the album. The title track -- which later became one of Byrd's more covered compositions -- contrasts Pearson's spacy musings with a busy, funky percussion groove, and there's a loose, open feel to the improvisations that breaks with hard bop conventions. The warm ballad "I Love the Girl" has a similarly airy feel, and at eight and a half minutes, is the shortest cut; clearly Byrd wanted an open framework for exploration. The other two numbers are more traditional hard bop compositions by former Byrd students, which -- although funky and full of improvisations -- can't help but feel more tethered than their predecessors. Still, even if it isn't his most adventurous fusion outing, Fancy Free is the rare Donald Byrd album that holds appeal for rare-groove fanatics and traditionalists alike. ---Steve Huey, AllMusic Review

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1. Stepping Into Tomorrow (Mizell) – 5:06
2. Design A Nation (Mizell) – 4:19
3. We’re Together (Mizell) – 4:23
4. Think Twice (Sigidi, Mizell, Mbaji) – 6:10
5. Makin’ It (Mason) – 3:46
6. Rock ‘N’ Roll Again (Mizell) – 6:08
7. You Are The World (Mizell) – 4:29
8. I Love The Girl (Byrd) – 3:52

Donald Byrd - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals
Gary Bartz - alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet
James Carter - whistler on "Rock And Roll Again"
Mayuto Correa - congas
Margie Evans, Kay Haith, Freddie Perren - background vocals
Fonce Mizell - trumpet, clarinet, background vocals
Jerry Peters - organ, piano
John Rowin, David T. Walker - guitar
Larry Mizell - Fender Rhodes, ARP synthesizers, background vocals
Chuck Rainey - bass
Harvey Mason - drums, bata drums
Roger Sainte - percussion
Ronghea Southern - guitar on "Think Twice"
Stephanie Spruill - percussion, background vocals

Beginning with a crack of thunder, like it was made to trail Gary Bartz's "Mother Nature" (actually recorded at a slightly later date), Stepping into Tomorrow contains almost all of the Mizell trademarks within its title track's first 30 seconds: a soft and easy (yet still funky) electric-bass-and-drums foundation, silken rhythm guitar, organ and piano gently bouncing off one another, light synthesizer shading, and coed group vocals to ensure true liftoff. It's only one in a line of many magnetic '70s sessions led by Fonce and Larry Mizell, and it differs from their two previous Donald Byrd dates -- the polarizing and groundbreaking Black Byrd and the deceptively excellent Street Lady -- by not featuring any of Roger Glenn's flute, and by focusing on heavily melodic and laid-back arrangements. Even the speedy "You Are the World," by some distance the most energetic song, seems more suited for relaxing in a hammock than shooting down a freeway. Many of the musicians present on the previous Byrd-Mizell meetings are here, including drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Chuck Rainey, keyboardist Jerry Peters, and guitarist David T. Walker. As ever, those who pined for the approach of Byrd's '60s dates would tune out a sublime set of material, but maybe some of those who sniffed at the straightforward nature of some of the rhythms and riffing were won over by the supreme layering of the many components (the way in which "Think Twice" lurches forward, peels back, and gathers steam is nothing short of heavenly), not to mention some deeply evocative playing from Byrd himself. ---Andy Kellman, Rovi

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