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EFTA02703043 | EFTA02703064 <http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pic=ures/2013/2/8/1360285140689/Donald-Byrd-008.jpg> Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 — =ebruary 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz music=ans of his generation, Byrd was best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remain=ng a jazz artist. He recorded prolifically as both a leader and sideman from the mid-'50s into the mid-'60s, m=st often for Blue Note, where he established a reputation as a solid stylist with a clean tone, clear articulation, and a knack for melodicism. Toward th= end of the '60s, Byrd became fascinated with Miles Davis' move into fusion, and started recording hi= own forays into the field. In the early '70s, with the help of brothers Lar=y and Fonce Mizell, Byrd perfected a bright, breezy, commercially potent take on fusion that was distinct from Davis, incorporating tighter arrangements and more of a smooth soul influence.t>=A0 As a bandleader, Byrd is also notable for his influential role in the early career of renowned keyboard player and compos=r Herbie Hancock. Byrd was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father, a Met=odist minister, was an amateur musician, and Byrd was already an accomplished trumpeter by the time he finished high school having performed with Lionel =ampton. After playing in a military band during a term in the United States Air For=e, he obtained a bachelor's degree in music from Wayne State University an= a master's degree from Manhattan School of Music. While still at the Manhattan School, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, as replacement for Clifford Brown. In 1955, he recorded with Gigi Gryce Jackie McLean and Mal Waldron. After leaving the Jazz Messengers in 1956, he performed with many leading j=zz musicians of the day, including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Mo=k, and later Herbie Hancock. Byrd's first regular group was a quintet that he co-led from 1958-61 with barito=e saxophonist Pepper Adams, an ensemble whose hard-driving performances are captured "live" on At the Half Note Cafe. In the mid-'60s, Byrd focused more of his energie= on teaching, and worked diligently to make jazz and its history a legitimate p=rt of the college curriculum. He taught at Rutgers, Hampton, New York Universi=y, and Howard in the late '60s, and the last one remained a steady associa=ion for much of the '70s. In the meantime, Byrd continued to record occasionall=, cutting a final spate of hard bop albums over 1966-1967 that included and Blackjack. Byrd also began to study African music, inspired partly by the emerging black-consciousness movement, and became interested in Miles Davis' efforts to woo a younger audience (includ=ng Byrd's own students) by experimenting with electronics and funk rhythms. Released in 1969, Fancy Free found Byrd using electric piano for the first time, with a spacy sound that recalled Davis' In a Silent Way. Issued in 1970, Electric Byrd had=more of a Bitches Brew flavor, and the jams on 1971's Ethiopian Knights=/b> were longer, funkier, and more aggressive. Byrd truly came into his own as a fus=on artist when he hooked up with the Mizell brothers, who began to handle production, writing, and some musical support duties. Their first collabora=ion was 1972's Black Byrd, an upbeat, funky blend of jazz and=R&B. As a side note to his musical career, Byrd finished l=w school in 1976, and went on to teach at North Carolina Central University. 1= 1982, Byrd received his Ph.D. from Columbia Teachers College and thentaught at a variety of postsecondary institutions, including Rutgers University, the Hampton Institute, New York University, Howard University, Queens College, Oberlin College, Cornell University, North Carolina Central University, North Texas State and Delawa=e State University. Byrd returned to somewhat straight-ahead jazz later in his career, releasing three albums fo= Orrin Keepnews' Landmark Records, and his final album Touchstone, a qui=tet. In the late '80s and early '90s, Byrd returned 22 EFTA_R1_02077698 EFTA02703064
April 18, 2026 at 6:22 PM