Product details
- Label Blue Note
- Artist Donald Byrd
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 1972
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed No
- Media Condition Near Mint (NM)
- Sleeve Condition Very Good Plus (VG+)
Do you have questions about this product?
Condition: Used
Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Ethiopian Knights by Donald Byrd.
Recorded across two days in the late summer of 1971, "Ethiopian Knights" finds Donald Byrd stretching out into deep, groove-driven territory. Captured at A&M Recording Studios on August 25th and 26th, this is Byrd the composer as much as Byrd the trumpeter, with every piece here written by his own hand and given room to breathe across an economical three-track program.
The album unfolds in patient, expansive fashion. Side A pairs "The Emperor" with "Jamie," while the entirety of Side B is given over to "The Little Rasti." These are not tight radio cuts but extended explorations, the kind of sessions that let a band settle into a rhythm and follow it wherever it leads. Byrd's horn threads through the arrangements with warmth and authority, always in dialogue with the players around him.
And what a gathering of players it is. The rhythm foundation comes from Wilton Felder on bass and Ed Greene on drums, with Joe Sample lending organ and William Henderson at the piano. A trio of guitarists, David T. Walker, Don Peake, and Greg Poree, thickens the texture, giving these tracks a layered, electric pulse. The front line is formidable too, with Harold Land on tenor saxophone, Thurman Green on trombone, and the unmistakable vibraphone of Bobby Hutcherson shimmering through the mix.
The technical pedigree runs just as deep. Henry Lewy handled the engineering at A&M, and the record was then remixed at Van Gelder Recording Studios, where the legendary Rudy Van Gelder brought his ear to the final balance. That combination of a West Coast session and Van Gelder's remixing touch gives the album its distinctive character, spacious yet detailed, funky yet refined.
The presentation matches the music. Norman Seeff supplied the art direction and photography, with album design by Dave Bhang, and Bill Quinn contributed the liner notes that set the scene for what lies in the grooves. Byrd's compositions are published by Elgy Music Pub. Co. under BMI, and George Butler steered the whole enterprise as producer.
This pressing carries the black and blue label with "Liberty/UA Inc." featured in the rimtext, a hallmark of its era. For collectors chasing Byrd's early 1970s evolution, when he began fusing hard bop roots with soul, funk, and a looser studio approach, "Ethiopian Knights" is an essential chapter, a record where a first-rate trumpeter surrounded himself with West Coast heavyweights and let the music run long.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. The Emperor
A2. Jamie
B. The Little Rasti
Credits:
Norman Seeff - Art Direction, Photography By
Wilton Felder - Bass
Donald Byrd - Composed By
Dave Bhang - Design [Album]
Ed Greene (2) - Drums
Henry Lewy - Engineer
Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer [Remix]
David T. Walker - Guitar
Don Peake - Guitar
Greg Poree - Guitar
Bill Quinn (4) - Liner Notes
Joe Sample - Organ
William Henderson - Piano
George Butler - Producer
Harold Land - Tenor Saxophone
Thurman Green - Trombone
Donald Byrd - Trumpet
Bobby Hutcherson - Vibraphone
Notes:
Black/blue label with "Liberty/UA Inc." in rimtext.
Recorded at A&M Recording Studios on August 25th & 26th, 1971.
Remixed at Van Gelder Recording Studios.
Pub. by Elgy Music Pub. Co. BMI
Artist: Donald Byrd
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Blue Note
Catalog Number: BST-84380
Release Year: 1972
Country: United States
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