http://rapidshare.com/files/275493541/DONALD_BYRD...FANCY_FREE...rar
It was with 1969's FANCY FREE that Donald Byrd began to break away from the hard bop that had defined his sound throughthe '50s and '60s. Inspired by the early fusion experimentsof Miles Davis on FILLES DE KILIMANJARO and IN A SILENT WAY, Byrd brought in an electric pianist (Duke Pearson) to playon these open-ended, rhythm-centred tracks. Pearson's pianolends a cool, otherworldly feel to the compositions (and links them with Davis's work at the time), and the addition ofnumerous percussionists indicates Byrd's growing interest in funk and African polyrhythms.
"Fancy Free", the album'sopener, clocks in at almost 12 minutes, and features solos from all of the session's major players, including tenor saxophonist Frank Foster, flautist Lew Tabackin, trombonist Julian Priester, and guitarist Jimmy Ponder. The beautiful "I Love the Girl" finds Byrd playing with the use of open space in his compositions, creating an floating, airy feel heightened by Pearson's electric keys. Unlike Byrd's commercially successful R&B-flavoured fusion from the '70s, FANCY FREE is still firmly rooted in traditional jazz principles, but contains enough forward-thinking funk and compositional innovation to set it apart from his earlier Blue Note releases.
It was with 1969's FANCY FREE that Donald Byrd began to break away from the hard bop that had defined his sound throughthe '50s and '60s. Inspired by the early fusion experimentsof Miles Davis on FILLES DE KILIMANJARO and IN A SILENT WAY, Byrd brought in an electric pianist (Duke Pearson) to playon these open-ended, rhythm-centred tracks. Pearson's pianolends a cool, otherworldly feel to the compositions (and links them with Davis's work at the time), and the addition ofnumerous percussionists indicates Byrd's growing interest in funk and African polyrhythms.
"Fancy Free", the album'sopener, clocks in at almost 12 minutes, and features solos from all of the session's major players, including tenor saxophonist Frank Foster, flautist Lew Tabackin, trombonist Julian Priester, and guitarist Jimmy Ponder. The beautiful "I Love the Girl" finds Byrd playing with the use of open space in his compositions, creating an floating, airy feel heightened by Pearson's electric keys. Unlike Byrd's commercially successful R&B-flavoured fusion from the '70s, FANCY FREE is still firmly rooted in traditional jazz principles, but contains enough forward-thinking funk and compositional innovation to set it apart from his earlier Blue Note releases.
