Donald Byrd, a tribute

This week we say goodbye to one of the great American jazz-fusion musicians, Donald Byrd, who passed away aged 80 on the 4th of February, 2013. His musical legacy is wonderful, some of which has already featured in various VibeRide mixes down the years, and he was one of the best at fusing jazz with funk and soul. Such was his contribution to jazz-funk that I felt a special mix dedicated to the man himself was essential.   

click to listen via mixcloud

Please enjoy this mix of many of my favourite Donald Byrd compositions, which includes a couple of tracks by The Blackbyrds (a group he formed during his tenure at North Carolina Central University whom we saw perform live in London last year). 

This mix focuses mostly on the superb jazz-funk cuts he produced throughout the 70's, which came after his early work as a bebop jazz trumpeter, and so if more traditional jazz is your preference then check out his work from the late 50's and early 60's.  

Here's the tracklist for our special Donald Byrd tribute mix:

Donald Byrd - Christo Redentor
Donald Byrd - Onward 'Til Morning
Donald Byrd - Love's So Far Away
Donald Byrd - In Love With Love
Donald Byrd - I Love You
Donald Byrd - Thank For Funking Up My life
Donald Byrd - Love Has Come Around (12")
Donald Byrd - (Falling Like) Dominoes
The Blackbyrds - Rock Creek Park 
Donald Byrd - Giving It Up
Donald Byrd - Pretty Baby
Donald Byrd - Rock & Roll Again
The Blackbyrds - Mysterious Vibes
Donald Byrd - Cristo Redentor (A New Perspective)

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