Don Byron – Ivey-Divey – Blue Note

by | Mar 18, 2009 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Don Byron – Ivey-Divey – Blue Note 7243 5 78215 2 0, 1.2 hours ****:

(Don Byron – clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax; Jason Moran, piano; Jack DeJohnette, drums; guests: Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Lonnie Plaxico, bass)

Don Byron’s concept albums have been a kick and a half.  There was the one devoted to Mickey Katz, the ones to music of both John Kirby and Raymond Scott, and now comes Byron and his little basic trio emulating the spirit of the late tenor sax legend Lester Young – when he had a trio with Nat Cole on piano and Buddy Rich on drums. Some of the tracks just use the Young theme as a springboard and leap forth with highly original licks from Byron.  The absolutely brilliant pianist Jason Moran makes this trio really work, and DeJohnette has been one of the A-list drummers for a long time now.

There’s a couple of Miles Davis tunes for the quintet with the two guest players, a boogie-woogie classic, and Leopold, Leopold refers to Bugs Bunny impersonating conductor Leopold Stokowski who was featured in Disney’s Fantasia – not sure if that’s a Young or Byron original. There is an alternate take of Somebody Loves Me at the close of the dozen tracks, and it is totally different from the first take.  I think Byron has done it again – surprised us with an unusual concept that improves the whole effort rather than hampering it in any way.

TrackList:
  1. I Want to Be Happy
  2. Somebody Loves Me
  3. I Cover the Waterfront
  4. I’ve Found A New Baby
  5. Himm
  6. Goon Drag
  7. Abie the Fishman
  8. Lefty Teachers At Home
  9. Leopold, Leopold
10. Freddie Freeloader
11. In A Silent Way
12. Somebody Loves Me

 – John Henry

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