Mustang! (Donald Byrd album)

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Mustang!
Mustang! (Donald Byrd album).jpg
Studio album by Donald Byrd
Released October 1967 [1]
Recorded June 24, 1966
November 18, 1964 (Bonus tracks)
Studio Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre Jazz
Length39:59original LP
56:17 CD reissue
Label Blue Note
BLP 4238
BST 84238
Producer Alfred Lion
Donald Byrd chronology
I'm Tryin' to Get Home
(1964)		Mustang!
(1967)		 Blackjack
(1967)

Mustang! is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd featuring performances by Byrd with Sonny Red, Hank Mobley, McCoy Tyner, Walter Booker, and Freddie Waits recorded in 1966 and released on the Blue Note label in 1967 as BLP 4238. [2] The CD reissue included two bonus tracks recorded in 1964.

Donald Byrd American musician

Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was known as one of the rare bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while remaining a jazz artist. As a bandleader, Byrd was an influence on the early career of Herbie Hancock.

Sonny Red was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer associated with the hard bop idiom among other styles.

Hank Mobley American saxophonist

Henry "Hank" Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players like Sonny Rollins and Coltrane. The critic Stacia Proefrock claimed he is "one of the most underrated musicians of the bop era."

Contents

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars and stated "Byrd performs high-quality straight-ahead jazz that fits the modern mainstream of the era". [3]

Scott Yanow is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Track listing

All compositions by Donald Byrd except as indicated
  1. "Mustang" (Sonny Red Kyner) - 8:30
  2. "Fly Little Bird Fly" - 5:27
  3. "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) - 5:54
  4. "Dixie Lee" - 6:43
  5. "On the Trail" (Ferde Grofé) - 7:44
  6. "I'm So Excited by You" - 5:41
  7. "Gingerbread Boy" (Jimmy Heath) - 9:01 Bonus track on CD reissue
  8. "I'm So Excited by You" [First Version] - 7:17 Bonus track on CD reissue

Recorded on November 18, 1964 (tracks 7-8) and June 24, 1966 (tracks 1-6).

Personnel

Tracks 1-6

Trumpet musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family

A trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group contains the instruments with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpet-like instruments have historically been used as signaling devices in battle or hunting, with examples dating back to at least 1500 BC; they began to be used as musical instruments only in the late 14th or early 15th century. Trumpets are used in art music styles, for instance in orchestras, concert bands, and jazz ensembles, as well as in popular music. They are played by blowing air through nearly-closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound that starts a standing wave vibration in the air column inside the instrument. Since the late 15th century they have primarily been constructed of brass tubing, usually bent twice into a rounded rectangular shape.

Alto saxophone type of saxophone

The alto saxophone, also referred to as the alto sax, is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s, and patented in 1846. It is pitched in E♭, and is smaller than the tenor, but larger than the soprano. The alto sax is the most common saxophone and is commonly used in concert bands, chamber music, solo repertoire, military bands, marching bands, and jazz. The fingerings of the different saxophones are all the same so a saxophone player can play any type of saxophone.

Tenor saxophone type of saxophone

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B♭ (while the Alto is pitched in the key of E♭), and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef, sounding an octave and a major second lower than the written pitch. Modern tenor saxophones which have a high F♯ key have a range from A♭2 to E5 (concert) and are therefore pitched one octave below the soprano saxophone. People who play the tenor saxophone are known as "tenor saxophonists", "tenor sax players", or "saxophonists".

Tracks 7-8

Jimmy Heath American musician

James Edward Heath, nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger and big band leader. He is the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath.

Joe Chambers in Chester, Pennsylvania is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. He attended the Philadelphia Conservatory for one year. In the 1960s and 1970s Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea. During this period, his compositions appeared on some of the albums in which he made guest appearances, such as those with Freddie Hubbard and Bobby Hutcherson. He has released eight albums as a bandleader and been a member of several incarnations of Max Roach's M'Boom percussion ensemble.

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References

  1. ↑ Billboard Nov 4, 1967
  2. ↑ Donald Byrd discography accessed September 2, 2010
  3. 1 2 Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed September 2, 2010
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