Graham Reid | | <1 min read
Jake's Blues Next
This 1960 solo album by pianist Byard gets a welcome remastering and reissue because Byard seems a largely forgotten figure. His powerful playing and inventiveness showed him capable of working in an almost barrelhouse style as well as playing with Charles Mingus (notably on Black Saint and the Sinner Lady), Art Blakey, Roland Kirk, George Benson and in big bands.
His distinctive solo style involves rapid tempo changes, oceanic runs and delightful phrases which go back to the pre-Bop era.
It can make for quite a roller-coast ride, but Byard will never bore you as he roams from ragtime to free form.
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The remastered version of this album is available from March 14. The original is at Spotify here
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