Jaki Byard with Strings!
| Jaki Byard with Strings! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Recorded | April 2, 1968 New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Prestige PR 7573 | |||
| Producer | Don Schlitten | |||
| Jaki Byard chronology | ||||
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Jaki Byard with Strings! is an album by pianist Jaki Byard recorded in 1968 and released on the Prestige label.[1] It is a sextet recording, with George Benson (guitar), Ray Nance (violin and vocals), Ron Carter (cello), Richard Davis (double bass), and Alan Dawson (drums and vibraphone).
Music[edit]
Critic Gary Giddins commented that, "a few complicated arrangements notwithstanding, this album is mostly an upbeat jam".[2] One of the complicated arrangements was "Cat's Cradle Conference Rag" – each of five musicians "play five standards based on similar harmonies simultaneously".[3] With the drummer added, these were: "Take the A Train" (Byard); "Jersey Bounce" (Nance); "Darktown Strutters' Ball" (Benson); "Intermission Riff" (Davis); "Desafinado" (Carter); and "Ring Dem Bells" (Dawson).[2]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars with its review by Scott Yanow, stating, "The repertoire includes a jammed version of "How High the Moon," a couple of tricky Byard originals and the then-current pop tune "Music to Watch Girls By." But more significant than the songs is the playing by the distinctive musicians who almost make the band sound like a regular group rather than a one-time get-together".[4] Giddins was also positive; he picked out Ray Nance's solo on "How High the Moon": it "ranks with the one he recorded on Dizzy Gillespie's "Lover Come Back to Me" as the best work of his later years".[6]
Track listing[edit]
All compositions by Jaki Byard except as indicated
- "Music to Watch Girls By" (Sid Ramin) – 3:44
- "Falling Rains of Life" – 7:56
- "Cat's Cradle Conference Rag" – 11:47
- "How High the Moon" (Nancy Hamilton, Morgan Lewis) – 14:17
- "Ray's Blues" – 6:47
Personnel[edit]
- Jaki Byard – piano, organ
- George Benson – guitar
- Ray Nance – violin, vocals
- Ron Carter – cello
- Richard Davis – bass
- Alan Dawson – drums, vibraphone
References[edit]
- ^ Prestige Records discography accessed July 27, 2012
- ^ a b Giddins, Gary (2004) Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century, p. 224. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Giddins, Gary (1985) [1978] Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the 1980s, p. 7. Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b Yanow, S. Allmusic Review, accessed July 26, 2012
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 35. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Giddins, Gary (1985) Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the 1980s, p. 6. Oxford University Press.
Further reading[edit]
- Williams, Martin T. (1991) Jazz in Its Time, pp. 147–159. Oxford University Press. Contains a detailed description of the recording session by someone who was present.