Kofi (album)

Kofi
Kofi
Studio album by Donald Byrd
Released	February 24, 1995
Recorded	December 16, 1969 (#1–2); December 4, 1970 (#3–5); A&R Studios, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	33:40(original LP)
Label	Blue Note ; Blue Note 31875
Producer	Duke Pearson
Donald Byrd chronology

Last updated May 26, 2025

Kofi is an album by the American trumpeter Donald Byrd, featuring performances by Byrd with Frank Foster, Lew Tabackin, Duke Pearson, Ron Carter, Bob Cranshaw, Airto Moreira, Wally Richardson, and Mickey Roker, recorded in 1969 and 1970 and released on the Blue Note label in 1995.^[1]

Reception

The AllMusic review by Rob Theakston stated: "The playing here is no less than stellar ... The subtle relaxed tones of this album make it truly one of the essential releases in Byrd's catalog".

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Donald Byrd except as indicated

"Kofi" - 7:46
"Fufu" - 9:39
"Perpetual Love" - 7:38
"Elmina" - 8:37
"The Loud Minority" (Frank Foster) - 9:57 Bonus track on the CD

Personnel

Donald Byrd - trumpet
William Campbell - trombone (track 1)
Frank Foster - tenor saxophone
Lew Tabackin - tenor saxophone, flute (tracks 1 & 2)
Duke Pearson - electric piano
Wally Richardson - guitar (tracks 3–5)
Ron Carter - bass
Bob Cranshaw - electric bass (track 2)
Airto Moreira - drums (tracks 1 & 2), percussion (tracks 3–5)
Mickey Roker - drums (tracks 3–5)
Dom Um Romão - percussion (tracks 3–5)

Covers

In 2013, the German House/ Techno DJ SCNTST remixed "Kofi" and renamed it "Mind What".^[2]

References

↑ Donald Byrd discography accessed September 3, 2010
1 2 Theakson, R. AllMusic Review accessed September 3, 2010
↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

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[Byrd_discography-1] Donald Byrd discography accessed September 3, 2010

[Allmusic-2] 1 2 Theakson, R. AllMusic Review accessed September 3, 2010

[Penguin-3] Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Donald Byrd
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader	Byrd's Eye View (1955) Byrd Jazz (1955) Byrd's Word (1955) Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (1956) 2 Trumpets (with Art Farmer, 1956) The Young Bloods (with Phil Woods, 1956) Jazz Eyes (and John Jenkins ao, 1957) Fuego (1959) Byrd in Flight (1960) Free Form (1961) A New Perspective (1963) I'm Tryin' to Get Home (1964) Up with Donald Byrd (1964) Mustang! (1966) Blackjack (1967) Slow Drag (1967) Fancy Free (1969) Kofi (1969–70) Ethiopian Knights (1971) Black Byrd (1972) Street Lady (1973) Stepping into Tomorrow (1974) Places and Spaces (1975) Caricatures (1976) Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978) Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. (1979) Love Byrd (1981) Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes (1982) Harlem Blues (1987) Getting Down to Business (1989) A City Called Heaven (1991)
With Pepper Adams	10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (1958) Off to the Races (1959) Byrd in Hand (1959) At the Half Note Cafe (1960) Motor City Scene (1960) Out of This World (1961) Chant (1961) The Cat Walk (1961) Royal Flush (1961) The Creeper (1967) Electric Byrd (1970)
With The Jazz Messengers	The Jazz Messengers (1956) Originally (1956) Art Blakey Big Band (1957) Holiday for Skins (2 volumes, 1958)
With Gigi Gryce	At Newport (and Cecil Taylor, 1957) Gigi Gryce and the Jazz Lab Quintet (Riverside, 1957) Jazz Lab (Columbia album) (1957) Jazz Lab (Jubilee album) (1957 [1958]) Modern Jazz Perspective (with Jackie Paris, 1957) New Formulas from the Jazz Lab (1957)
With Jackie McLean	Lights Out! (1956) 4, 5 and 6 (1956) New Soil (1959) Jackie's Bag (1959) Vertigo (1963)
With Hank Mobley	The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (Savoy, 1956) Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956) Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1957) Hank Mobley Sextet (1956) Hank (1957) No Room for Squares (1963) Straight No Filter (1963) The Turnaround! (1963) Far Away Lands (1967)
With others	Discoveries / Presenting Cannonball Adderley (Cannonball Adderley, 1955) Jammin' with Gene (Gene Ammons, 1956) All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956) All Day Long (Kenny Burrell, 1957) 2 Guitars (Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Raney, 1957) Whims of Chambers (Paul Chambers, 1956) Paul Chambers Quintet (1957) Sonny's Crib (Sonny Clark, 1957) My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1959) Bohemia After Dark (Kenny Clarke, 1955) Lush Life (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Believer (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Last Trane (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Black Pearls (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Davis Cup (Walter Davis Jr., 1959) Wailing With Lou (Lou Donaldson, 1957) Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957) This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957) All Mornin' Long (Red Garland, 1957) Soul Junction (Red Garland, 1957) High Pressure (Red Garland, 1957) One Flight Up (Dexter Gordon, 1964) Ladybird (Dexter Gordon, 1965) Snap Your Fingers (Al Grey, 1962) Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (Guru, 1993) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guru, 1994–95) My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1993) Tone Tantrum (Gene Harris, 1977) Swamp Seed (Jimmy Heath, 1963) Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956) African High Life (Solomon Ilori, 1963) Big Byrd: The Essence Part 2 (Ahmad Jamal, 1994 or 1995) Quartet-Quintet (Hank Jones, 1955) Bluebird (Hank Jones, 1955) TV Action Jazz! (Mundell Lowe, 1959) The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (1959) Goin' Out of My Head (Wes Montgomery, 1965) Hush! (Duke Pearson, 1962) Wahoo! (Duke Pearson, 1964) Another One /Oscar Pettiford Volume 2 (1955) Winner's Circle (Oscar Pettiford, et al, 1957) Blues in Trinity (Dizzy Reece, 1958) The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956) Dimensions & Extensions (Sam Rivers, 1967) Sonny Rollins, Volume 1 (1956) Don't Stop the Carnival (Sonny Rollins, 1978) Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956) 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957) Taylor's Wailers (Art Taylor, 1957) Soul Sauce (Cal Tjader, 1964) A Bluish Bag (Stanley Turrentine, 1967) Top Brass (Ernie Wilkins, 1955) Pairing Off (Phil Woods, 1956)

v t e Duke Pearson
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader	Profile (1959) Tender Feelin's (1959) Angel Eyes (1961–62) Dedication! (1961) Hush! (1962) Wahoo! (1964) Honeybuns (1965) Prairie Dog (1966) Sweet Honey Bee (1966) The Right Touch (1967) Introducing Duke Pearson's Big Band (1967–68) I Don't Care Who Knows It (1968–70) Now Hear This (1968) The Phantom (1968) How Insensitive (1969) Merry Ole Soul (1969) It Could Only Happen with You (1970)
With Donald Byrd	Fuego (1959) At the Half Note Cafe (1960) Byrd in Flight (1960) The Cat Walk (1961) A New Perspective (1963) Fancy Free (1969) Kofi (1969–70) Electric Byrd (1970)
With others	Little Johnny C (Johnny Coles, 1963) Idle Moments (Grant Green, 1963) The Kicker (Bobby Hutcherson, 1963) Mean What You Say (Thad Jones and Pepper Adams, 1966)
Arranger only	I'm Tryin' to Get Home (for Donald Byrd]], 1964) Lush Life (for Lou Donaldson, 1967) Am I Blue (for Grant Green, 1963) Boss Horn (for Blue Mitchell, 1966) Heads Up! (for Blue Mitchell, 1968) A Slice of the Top (for Hank Mobley, 1966) Standards (for Lee Morgan, 1967) Rough 'n' Tumble (for Stanley Turrentine, 1966) A Bluish Bag (for Stanley Turrentine, 1967) The Return of the Prodigal Son (for Stanley Turrentine, 1967) The Look of Love (for Stanley Turrentine, 1968)