Charlie Byrd - Mr Guitar (1961) (eac-log-cover)

Charlie Byrd - Mr Guitar (1961)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 130MB

OJC

Allmusic:
A delightful trio outing with an adroit and light feel, also featuring Keter Betts on bass and Bertell Knox on drums. Byrd's playing combines jazz swing with influences from both Spanish guitar and classical music on a session comprised of both Byrd originals and covers, usually of Gershwin and Ellington tunes. Betts and Knox are both nimble players who flesh out Byrd's arrangements without encumbering them, Knox exhibiting a deft touch on the snares in particular. Byrd swings pretty hard on numbers like "Gypsy in My Soul," and gets more into the Spanish sound on the original "Funky Flamenco"; there is one chance for the musicians to stretch out into more space, on the six-minute "Lay the Lily Low." It sounds like this album was a substantial influence upon the noted eclectic British folk guitarist Davy Graham, whose debut LP from the early '60s, Guitar Player, has arrangements that are similar to much of what's on Mr. Guitar.

Tracks
-01. "Blues for Felix" 3:00
-02. "Gypsy in My Soul" 2:57
-03. "In a Mellow Tone" 3:16
-04. "Prelude to a Kiss" 4:45
-05. "Travelin' On" 2:36
-06. "Play Fiddle Play" 3:37
-07. "Funky Flamenco" 2:51
-08. "My One and Only" 2:47
-09. 2Mama, I'll Be Home Someday" 3:16
-10. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" 3:43
-11. "Who Cares?" 2:15
-12. "Lay the Lily Low" 5:51

Personnel
*Charlie Byrd (guitar);
*Keter Betts (bass);
*Bertell Knox (drums).

sample & buy: Mr Guitar

Charlie Byrd - Latin Byrd (1962&63) (eac-log-cover)

Charlie Byrd - Latin Byrd (1962&63)
Two albums: 1962: Latin Impressions; 1963: Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 410MB

Milestone

AMG:
This single CD reissues two complete Charlie Byrd LPs (Latin Impressions and Charlie Byrd's Bossa Nova), some of which had been available previously on a 1970s two-fer. Byrd, the master of the acoustic guitar whose gentle and lyrical style perfectly fit bossa nova, is heard in prime form on 23 rather pretty numbers. There are six unaccompanied solos and many workouts with his quartet, which is sometimes augmented by four cellos, a French horn, trumpeter Hal Posey, vibraphonist Tommy Gwaltney, and/or extra percussionists. Surprisingly there are only two Antonio Carlos Jobim songs among the ones performed, but the other selections (which include five Byrd originals) are very much in the idiom. This CD shows that pretty music does not have to be Muzak or new age. Highly recommended.

Tracks:
-01 - The Duck 5:34
-02 - Amor Flamengo 2:01
-03 - Azul Tiple 3:33
-04 - Cancion Di Argentina 2:03
-05 - Manha De Carnaval 2:33
-06 - Homage A Villa-Lobos 3:13
-07 - Bogota 3:49
-08 - Mexican Song No 2 2:47
-09 - Mexican Song No 1 0:56
-10 - Samba De Uma Nota So 2:54
-11 - Galopera 2:10
-12 - Vals 5:33
------------------------------
-13 - Outra Vez 3:13
-14 - Presente De Natal 3:25
-15 - Insensatez 2:55
-16 - Three Note Samba 2:20
-17 - Samba Da Minha Terra 2:00
-18 - Limehouse Blues 2:59
-19 - Saudade Da Bahia 2:23
-20 - Anna 4:38
-21 - Socegadamente 2:39
-22 - Chega De Saudade 3:13
-23 - Cancao De Nina Para Carol 4:22

Personnel:
Bill Reichenbach - drums
Charlie Byrd - guitar
Gene Byrd - guitar, bass
Keter Betts - bass
Buddy Deppenschmidt - drums, latin percussion

sample & buy: Latin Byrd

Charlie Byrd - Byrd By The Sea (1974) (eac-log-cover)

Charlie Byrd - Byrd By The Sea (1974)

jazz, latin | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 370MB

Fantasy | rel:2000

AMG:
Mild, smooth trio date with Byrd playing light jazz, occasional Afro-Latin, and even a mock classical number, backed by bassist Joe Byrd and drummer Bertell Knox. This sometimes comes close to, but never becomes, mood music. The 2000 reissue approximately doubles the length of the original release with seven previously unissued tracks (none alternate versions) cut at the same live sessions. The extra material is stylistically consistent with the rest of the disc, encompassing pop ("The Way We Were"), classic jazz ("It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"), Vivaldi's "Concerto in G," and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Meditation."

Tracks:
01- Wave - (Antonio Carlos Jobim)(5:09)
02- I'm Coming Virginia - (Will Marion Cook, Donald Heywood)(5:20)
03- Killing Me Softly With His Song - (harles Fox, Norman Gimbel)(5:05)
04- Fantasy in B Minor - (Charlie Byrd) (5:52)
05- Salty Dog - (Papa Charlie Jackson, Reverend Charlie Jackson)(5:45)
06- Chiquilin de Bachin - (Astor Piazzolla, Horacio Ferrer)(4:26)
07- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)(6:13)
08- Ela Me Deixou - (Benito DiPaula)(5:04)
09- Cherry [*] - (Don Redman)(5:02)
10- The Way We Were [*] - (Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman)(3:12)
11- Concerto in G [*] - (Antonio Vivaldi)(4:43)
12- Love Is in the Air [*] -(Gustavo, Santos, Dos Santos-Gustavo)(3:40)
13- Meditation (Meditaçao) [*] -(Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça)(3:59)
14- This Can't Be Love [*] -(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) (3:14)
15- It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - (Irving Mills, Duke Ellington)(3:49)

Recorded: March 1-3, 1974, Hermosa Beach, CA.

Personnel:
Charlie Byrd- guitar
Joe Byrd- acoustic & electric bass
Bertell Knox- drums

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Charlie Byrd - Classical Byrd (1960) (eac-flac-cover)

Charlie Byrd - Classical Byrd (1960)

classical (jazz) | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 365MB

Milestone | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Single-disc, 77-minute compilation of two long-unavailable classical LPs that Byrd recorded in 1958-60 for the Washington label, An Anthology of Music for the Guitar -- The Sixteenth Century and Lodovico Roncalli Suites. (Unfortunately, one of the tracks from An Anthology of Music for the Guitar -- The Sixteenth Century, "Tres Fantasies (Three Fantasies)," was deleted for space reasons). Byrd interprets courtly dances and folk songs of Spanish composers of the 16th century on Anthology, and presents four longer (average track length: ten minutes) suites from the 17th century by the little-known Italian composer Lodovico Roncalli on Lodovico Roncalli Suites. It's a fine compendium of Byrd's talents as a virtuoso classical interpreter, and one would guess that works such as this were an influence on guitarist Sandy Bull in the 1960s.

Tracks:
01 - Dos Sonetos
02 - Diferencias Sobre Guardame Las Vacas
03 - Tres Pavanes
04 - Diferencias Sobre El Conde Claros
05 - Gallarda
06 - Fantasia Que Contra Haze La Harpa En La Manera De Luduvico
07 - Pavane Y Villanesca
08 - Diferencias Sobre Guardame Las Vacas
09 - Cancion Del Emperador
10 - Baxa De Contrapunta
11 - Suite For Guitar No 1 In G Major
12 - Suite For Guitar No 2 In E Minor
13 - Suite For Guitar No 3 In B Minor
14 - Suite For Guitar No 4 In D Major

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