Jaki Byard › The Jaki Byard Experience

Personnel: Jaki Byard (piano); Roland Kirk (tenor saxophone, clarinet, whistle, manzello, kirkbam); Richard Davis (bass); Alan Dawson (drums).

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on September 17, 1968. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.

Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1998, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

Personnel: Jaki Byard (piano); Rahsaan Roland Kirk (whistling, clarinet, manzello, tenor saxophone, percussion); Alan Dawson (drums).

Recording information: Englewood Cliffs, NJ (09/17/1968); New York, NY (09/17/1968).

Pianist Jaki Byard and the wondrous Roland Kirk (here switching between tenor, clarinet, and manzello) were two of the few jazz musicians who could play in literally every jazz style, from New Orleans to bop and free form. If only they had recorded a history-of-jazz album. Fortunately, they did meet up on a few occasions, including this brilliant quartet session with bassist Richard Davis and drummer Alan Dawson. They romp on Bud Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare," Thelonious Monk's "Evidence," "Shine on Me," and "Teach Me Tonight." Byard duets with Davis on his own "Hazy Eve," but best of all is the pianist's duet with Kirk on "Memories of You." This set was also reissued as half of the Roland Kirk two-LP set Pre-Rahsaan. ~ Scott Yanow

Genre:

• Jazz

Music Categories:

• Jazz Instrument: Piano