New Perspective [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Donald Byrd | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1963
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000IWVW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,953 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

BYRD DONALD A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Byrd in a departure, January 8, 2001

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Perspective (Audio CD)

Byrd, who made his name in the hard-bop vein on a large number of Blue Note and Prestige releases in the '50s and '60s, makes "A New Perspective" live up to its name, particularly in light of his later rather tepid funk/R&B material in the '70s with the Blackbyrds. This release gathers together familiar Blue Note mainstays, including Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, and Herbie Hancock, but Byrd offers up a series of gospel-inspired tunes with his band backing the Coleridge-Perkinson Choir. The results are mostly satisfying, although at times the vocal arrangements lacked the tonal color I'd have liked.

The album offers, however, one unforgettable gem: the soaring, majestic and altogether inspiring "Cristo Redentor," one of the best compositions of the underrated pianist Duke Pearson. The tune was inspired by Pearson's sighting of the statue of Christ in the Andes, and the music seems to capture every bit of the awe Pearson undoubtedly felt when he viewed the statue. The choir begins with a deep, reverent hum that lays a base from which the soprano voicings depart. After this stirring intro, Byrd enters, sketching the theme respectfully before offering his own humble, but blues-drenched respects to the vision. Also not to be missed in the performance is Hancock's soulful accompaniment on piano. Tremendous tune, one of the select few that in my opinion capture the essence of religious devotion without any trivializing.

As for the rest of the album, well, it doesn't quite measure up to the lofty standards of "Cristo Redentor," but there are plenty of nice moments and of course some fine performances from the aforementioned musicians as well as Dave Pike on vibraphone. "Beast of Burden" is a slowly shuffling, satisfying blues; "Elijah" is a joyous shout; and "Chant" finds the choir in robust full throat.

Byrd was, for me, never quite first-tier among the trumpeters of his era. On "A New Perspective" you won't find him reaching a another level technically. Stylistically, however, this album plows some new and intriguing ground both for Byrd and for Blue Note. Recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars perfect for a sunday morning., September 25, 2004

By 

Cedric Westphal "cedichou" (san francisco, ca) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Perspective (Audio CD)

(this might duplicate the previous review, as I had tech problems here).

Donald Byrd and Duke Pearson team up again (I have Byrd's "a new perspective" with Duke Pearson at the keys, recorded 3 years before in 1960). This time, Duke Pearson leaves the keys to Herbie Hancock, and sticks to the role of arranger and composer. He wrote 2 out of the 5 songs, and Byrd the other 3.

Songs are for voice and jazz band, but the voices are treated as just instruments, and blend effortlessly with the instruments. Donald's trumpet and Hank Mobley's sax sound especially human-like in this setting (actually, to preserve the illusion, all the solos are quite restrained and paced accordingly).

The compositions have a hymnal quality which reminded me of Charlie Haden and Hank Jones' "steal away". They are mostly melancholic songs with bluesy church-y undertones. This cd will not get you to dance, but you will listen to it again when the right mood strikes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz top 10 album, December 27, 2009

By 

Muhammad Yungai (Atlanta, Ga. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Perspective (Audio CD)

"A New Perspective" is one of the greatest jazz albums ever. In my opinion it should be in the jazz top 10. It is a classic which will forever be in the pantheon of jazz greats. Christo Redento is such a beautiful ballad which is simply breathtaking. But its greatness lies in it depth of feeling moreso than its beauty. It is genuinely holy to those of us who understand. Byrd's group takes us into a soul connecting journey which spans the spectrum of the Black experience from slavery until the present. Elijah and the Black Disciple take a more up tempo turn bringing us a more contemporary feeling but great depth of feeling non-the-less. Other reviewers have noted that this music fuses elements of gospel, jazz and soul, but, I'll leave that kind of analysis to them. For me, being Black and melding with this music are one and the same. It elevates to a higher level of consciousness much like Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" but in a very different way. In the future when jazz classics will become "classical" like Bach and Beethoven are considered now, "A New Perspective" will be a classic among classics.