(Jazz) Donald Byrd - Blue Breakbeats - 1998, WAVPack (image+.cue), lossless

Musician, composer, performer, innovator, educator—just five aspects of a man who has been a leading light in the world of music, with a career spanning five decades. From his jazz roots to his excursions in funk and hip-hop, this soulful trumpeter's music has always been on the cutting edge. His recordings during the seventies with the Mizell Brothers have become anthems on London's club scene, and those albums still serve as a production bible for many of today's producers, including myself. So influenced by his style of music was I, that I titled the first of my Incognito albums JAZZ FUNK. If there is one above all who embodies that word, Donald Byrd's your man!
In choosing the tracks for this compilation, I decided to go straight to the heart of the funk, where the beats loop with mesmerizing effect whilst voices echo out into the cosmos, and soloists liberate their wildest fantasies. I also dug a little deeper to seek out some of his rare grooves.
We kick off with what I consider to be the ultimate funk loop. From the irresistible "Caricatures" album (1976) comes the testifyin' "Dance Band," with the Professor clearly declaring his band's intention. My all-time favorite bass player, James Jameson, drops one of his killing bass lines, as the tune's recurring theme is taken for a joy ride over drummer Harvey Mason's driving rhythms. Some of the other musicians on this session include horn players Ernie Watts and Gary Bartz. Uplifting!
Next up is "Lansana's Priestess," from STREET LADY- over seven-and-a-half minutes of funk hypnosis, with Roger Glenn on flute trading phrases with the trumpet, and the cascading piano style of Jerry Peters bobbing and weaving its way through, bringing the track to a climactic crescendo before the mantra of the ethereal vocal choruses at the end. Spellbound!
Choosing the following song was easy, because WIND PARADE, from the essential album PLACES AND SPACES (1975), is my favorite Donald Byrd track. It features the amazing string arrangements of Wade Marcus. The engaging sound of the berimbau, played by Mayuto Correa, with Larry Mizell's piano, followed by breathy voices, sets the mood. The rhythm section comprised of Harvey Mason (drums), Chuck Rainey (bass) and King Erricson (congas) lays down the perfect groove for the Professor to turn on his magic. Pure Joy!
The classic soulful jazz sound created by the Mizells is further represented by another of brother Larry's compositions, "Miss Kane," taken from the STREET LADY album. It kicks off with a great conga break before the flute ignites the band into a burning groove. There's a rhythmic twist in the middle with the Professor blasting machine-gun style on top. The year is 1973, the mood is funky and the temperature is rising!
Donald Byrd's music is, and has always been, dance music. For further proof, we go back in time and take a listen to "Jelly Roll," from the 1967 album SLOW DRAG. The band is a quintet with Donald Byrd on trumpet, Sonny Red (the composer) on alto sax, the great Cedar Walton on piano, Walter Booker on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Like I said, timeless dance music. Jumpin'!
Returning to the well that is PLACES AND SPACES and taking us back to the Mizell Brother's sound, we hear the stompin' "You And Music." The drum break that introduces this track has often found it's way into samples the world over. I love the way the trumpet growls on this one, but the icing on the cake for me is the words sung by Kay Haith and the Professor "Baby I can use it, you and Music." I can relate!
Closing the compilation, I chose "Love's So Far Away" (I can truly relate!), taken from the legendary BLACKBYRD album (1972). The hi-hat opens the way for the flute and trumpet to take us on a journey. For a man who has travelled the world to spread the message of his musical vision, the subject of being away from the one you love rings true.
Legend has it that the pied piper played and the people followed! In reality, it's Donald Byrd who plays and we, the people, dance—oh how we dance! "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the pleasure dome."
—Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick (Talkin' Loud/Verve recording artist/Songwriter/Producer/A MAJOR FAN!)

Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 from 23. January 2008
EAC extraction logfile from 1. October 2008, 8:17
Donald Byrd / Blue Breakbeats
Used drive : PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-212D Adapter: 1 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 48
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Installed external ASPI interface
Used output format : Internal WAV Routines
Sample format : 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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1 | 0:00.00 | 6:13.50 | 0 | 28024
2 | 6:13.50 | 7:47.27 | 28025 | 63076
3 | 14:01.02 | 6:10.15 | 63077 | 90841
4 | 20:11.17 | 6:25.00 | 90842 | 119716
5 | 26:36.17 | 5:21.15 | 119717 | 143806
6 | 31:57.32 | 5:23.48 | 143807 | 168079
7 | 37:21.05 | 6:03.32 | 168080 | 195336
Range status and errors
Selected range
Filename E:\Temp\CD\Donald Byrd - Blue Breakbeats (1998)\Donald Byrd - Blue Breakbeats.wav
Peak level 94.5 %
Range quality 100.0 %
Copy CRC 97BCD8D0
Copy OK
No errors occurred
End of status report