BST 84292
Jazz
Slow Drag was one of trumpeter Donald Byrd's final hard bop dates. Teamed with altoist Sonny Red, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Walter Booker and drummer Billy Higgins (who takes a surprise vocal on the title cut), this quintet outing features originals by Byrd, Walton and Red along with the standards "Secret Love" and "My Ideal." The music in general finds Byrd looking both backwards toward the blues and forwards toward modal music and hints of the avant-garde. A fine effort.
By Scott Yanow. AMG.
**
Here we have yet another Bossa nova song disguised by a heavy piano bass and some bluesy changes. The opening to this song definitely sounds like it was meant for the opening sequence of a bad P.I. movie. Donald Byrd sounds good on this song as well as the rest of the album and I enjoy the changes to this tune better than the others. Byrd's playing is aided by the loose nature of the song and it grooves a little harder, especially on the turnaround, which sounds like they ripped it straight from a Hancock Blue Note recording. Byrd's trumpet style is very interesting to my ears, I can't figure out sometimes what he's going for and then all of a sudden he brings me back to table with some nice note choices. I recommend this song and the entire album for anyone that wants to get their teeth wet to some of the R&B/Bossa music of Blue Note from the late 1960s. You also don't want to miss the cool Billy Higgins vocal adlib towards the end of the song. Classic!
By Jared Pauley.
**
Donald Byrd's third collaboration with Sylvester Kyner still doesn't take off as much as it could and probably should. Like Mustang, it's a step up from the bland Blackjack, slowly cooking, but void of real highlights. The title track is very much modeled after the Blue Note successes "The Sidewinder" and "Watermelon Man" and wouldn't be particularly noteworthy if it weren't for a slightly psychedelic, drowsy sound that gives it an additional twist. The other tracks are pretty much standard fare, not really bad, not really great.
By HPrill.
**
Bass- Walter Booker
Drums- Billy Higgins
Piano- Cedar Walton
Saxophone [Alto]- Sonny Red
Trumpet- Donald Byrd
**
A1. Slow Drag 9:44
A2. Secret Love 3:56
A3. Book's Bossa 6:50
B1. Jelly Roll 5:19
B2. The Loner 6:14
B3. My Ideal 6:21
**
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