Donald Byrd – Electric Byrd: Third Man 313 Series (180g Vinyl LP)

All-Analog Remaster from the Original Master Tapes. Lacquers Cut in the Studio on the Neumann VMS-70 Cutting Lathe. 180g Vinyl.

The experimentations taking shape in music at the end of the 60’s with Miles Davis leading the pack pushed jazz in many new directions. Released six months after Bitches Brew in 1970, Electric Byrd shows renowned Detroit hard bop trumpet player Donald Byrd was listening too, but not necessarily following concurrent paths. Backed by a diverse group of players including several jazz greats including Frank Foster, Pepper Adams, Duke Pearson, Ron Carter, and Mickey Roker with Brazilians Airto Moreira and Hermeto Pascoal lending a fresh sound. Shimmering percussion, wind instruments and electric piano and guitar set the backdrop for Byrd’s dramatic flight into a psychedelic space with his echo-laden trumpet blasts. The LP concludes with a classic funk number that foreshadows the gold he would soon mine with the Mizell Brothers on his string of hit records recorded shortly after. An important glimpse of an artist in transition and an astounding album.

313 Series

Detroit has long held a shared respect with New York; a similar outlook on authenticity. Tough to describe, but you know it when you see it. Third Man Records and Blue Note Records share this respect and also a commitment to integrity regarding the musical legacies they support that extends to the collaboration happening on the 313 Series partnership. The five unique albums from the Blue Note catalog chosen for limited edition re-release by Blue Note Records President and Detroiter Don Was represent the best of the Motor City; innovative sounds, incredible playing and that inexplicable something you know is real.

For an undertaking like this you have to walk the extra mile. The original tapes were sent to Third Man’s Detroit mastering and pressing facility where their extensive all analog re-mastering process ensured that the albums delivered live up to the tradition they are part of. The Third Man Records team’s commitment to audio purity means no corners can be cut; sound and mastering engineer Warren Defever’s goal being to provide the closest possible approximation of the magic found on the original master’s tape brought to your living room. From the lacquers cut in the studio on the Neumann VMS-70 Cutting Lathe to the 180 gram vinyl pressed across the hall, every step of the process is tested in the facilities against exacting standards. That’s the Detroit way and the reason why the musical legacy from the 313 area code remains beloved around the world.

Donald Byrd – Trumpet

Ron Carter – Bass

Pepper Adams – Clarinet

Mickey Roker – Drums

Duke Pearson – Electric Piano

Hermeto Pascoal – Flute

Wally Richardson – Guitar

Airto Moreira – Percussion

Frank Foster – Saxophone

Jerry Dodgion – Saxophone

Lew Tabackin – Saxophone

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio – Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1970

A1: Estavanico
A2: Essence
B1: Xibaba
B2: The Dude