Customer Reviews

New Perspective

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

(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.

"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.

Chiors were a big part of music when this came in 1961. Bing Crosby, Mitch Miller, TV and radio adds, chiors were like the guitar is now. Thus went life in a pre-Beatle world.

So why not put them in jazz. That is what Donald Byrd did on New Perspective. But this is no easy listening or TV sing-along. Byrd has taken a lean blues used by the best in jazz, and added vocals. Along with top notch soloing and a fantastic backing unit, that included Herbie Hancock, these voices add an incredible fluidiity and swing to what is already jazz at its highest peak. This is profane music with a gospel reverance.

If you don't know this album, your jazz education is not complete. Cut and dry, that is it.

I found this cd rather enjoyable. Donald Byrd demonstrates his ablilties and musical tastes teamed with the rest of the personnel on the disc and shows that he can put a unique touch to the various tunes, from the smooth ballad Beast of Burden to the driving, almost tribal feel of The Black Disciple with the voices. Consider this something pleasant to add to your collection, perhaps not a masterpiece, but something worth having.

I owned this album 40 years ago when I was in college but had lost it along the way. I was thrilled to find it had been remastered on CD. The unique style and masterful artistry of Donald Byrd in this work still shine through. I have been enchanted by it all over again.

This album is basically an expansion on the song "Pentacostal Feeling" from the album "Free Form." The playing by Byrd, Hancock, Burrell and Mobley are first rate but the songs don't seem to wear well from repeated listening. The voices do not lend that much to the proceedings. Less ambitious than Max Roach's "Its Time" which also incorporates voices led by Perkinson. I have had this album since 1964.

Apart from the vocal textures, there's not a lot of inherent musical interest on this album. The "tunes" are simple musical ideas based on Dorian modes and minor blues changes, the rhythm is primarily walking 4/4, the principals (Byrd, Burrell, Mobley, Hancock) each manage to provide at least one pleasant but unremarkable solo statement. At least it's better background jazz than you'll hear these days on those so-called "contemporary jazz" stations.

As for the performance itself, it's far from perfect. There are random false starts by the vocalists as well as the instrumentalists, and individual voices among both groups occasionally stick out when they should be blending in (or one voice sings "dah-dot" while the others sing "doo-dot"). Van Gelder, moreover, is not the ideal sound engineer for a recording like this. His flat aural canvases and disregard for spatial imaging make no distinction, for example, between the volume level of a single piano note and the entire choir. With the addition of a horn like Coltrane's, with its spirit-seeking quality, and a recording respectful of space and ambiance, this session might have acquired some depth and spiritual/emotional resonance.

this set isn't bad at all.He takes on a few styles here&some things work.but Compared to His Early 70's Output the Music Here doesn't have that Lasting vibe for me.the Musicianship here is sharp but the Material overal doesn't hold up to me.but I have enjoyed many of His Recordings&He has a Cool Tone in His Work.