Jaki Byard with Strings!
Jaki Byard with Strings! | ||||
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Studio albumby | ||||
Released | 1968 | |||
Recorded | April 2, 1968 New York City | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Label | Prestige PR 7573 | |||
Producer | Don Schlitten | |||
Jaki Byardchronology | ||||
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Jaki Byard with Strings!is an album by pianistJaki Byardrecorded in 1968 and released on thePrestigelabel.[1]It is a sextet recording, withGeorge Benson(guitar),Ray Nance(violin and vocals),Ron Carter(cello),Richard Davis(double bass), andAlan Dawson(drums and vibraphone).
Music
[edit]CriticGary Giddinscommented that, "a few complicated arrangements notwithstanding, this album is mostly an upbeat jam".[2]One of the complicated arrangements was "Cat's Cradle Conference Rag" – each of five musicians "play fivestandardsbased on similar harmonies simultaneously ".[3]With the drummer added, these were: "Take the A Train"(Byard);"Jersey Bounce"(Nance);"Darktown Strutters' Ball"(Benson);" Intermission Riff "(Davis);"Desafinado"(Carter); and" Ring Dem Bells "(Dawson).[2]
Reception
[edit]Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
Allmusicawarded the album 4 stars with its review by Scott Yanow, stating, "The repertoire includes a jammed version of" How High the Moon, "a couple of tricky Byard originals and the then-current pop tune" Music to Watch Girls By. "But more significant than the songs is the playing by the distinctive musicians who almost make the band sound like a regular group rather than a one-time get-together".[4]Giddins was also positive; he picked outRay Nance's solo on "How High the Moon":it" ranks with the one he recorded onDizzy Gillespie's "Lover Come Back to Me" as the best work of his later years ".[6]
Track listing
[edit]All compositions by Jaki Byard except as indicated
- "Music to Watch Girls By"(Sid Ramin) – 3:44
- "Falling Rains of Life" – 7:56
- "Cat's Cradle Conference Rag" – 11:47
- "How High the Moon"(Nancy Hamilton,Morgan Lewis) – 14:17
- "Ray's Blues" – 6:47
Personnel
[edit]- Jaki Byard– piano,organ
- George Benson– guitar
- Ray Nance– violin, vocals
- Ron Carter– cello
- Richard Davis–bass
- Alan Dawson– drums,vibraphone
References
[edit]- ^Prestige Records discographyaccessed July 27, 2012
- ^abGiddins, Gary (2004)Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century,p. 224. Oxford University Press.
- ^Giddins, Gary (1985) [1978]Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the 1980s,p. 7. Oxford University Press.
- ^abYanow, S.Allmusic Review,accessed July 26, 2012
- ^Swenson, J., ed. (1985).The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide.USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 35.ISBN0-394-72643-X.
- ^Giddins, Gary (1985)Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the 1980s,p. 6. Oxford University Press.
Further reading
[edit]- Williams, Martin T. (1991)Jazz in Its Time,pp. 147–159. Oxford University Press. Contains a detailed description of the recording session by someone who was present.