Donald Byrd Quintet Parisian Thoroughfare Mono

In the October '58 issue, the title of Jazz Hot Magazine was: "Revelation in Chat Qui Pêche. The spirit of jazz (which some thought was dead) is more alive than ever in the Donald Byrd Quintet." And indeed, at their first appearance at the Cannes Festival in July (the jazz festival, not the other), the Donald Byrd Quintet had received stormy applause, although its members can hardly be described as the who's who of jazz. It was only vaguely known that the bandleader had replaced Kenny Dorham with the Jazz Messengers, that Doug Watkins had been their bassist, and that pianist Walter Davis Jr. had played with Charlie Parker before he was 19. As for Art Taylor, even though he had already had a longer career than his colleagues, it had not yet earned him recognition beyond a small circle of connoisseurs. Only Bobby Jaspar – who had already shone at Club St. Germain – was famous to the Parisian audience.
At the beginning of 1956 he had decided to try his luck in the USA; J.J. Johnson had hired him, then Miles Davis (for a short time) before Donald Byrd accepted him into his troupe. After performances in the sun in Cannes and Knokke-le-Zoute (in front of a much smaller audience) that spanned a period of almost three months, the Donald Byrd Quintet settled in one of the capital's top jazz spots, Chat Qui Pêche on Rue de la Huchette, for the fall. "In this small room," wrote Frank Ténot, "where the owner regularly, albeit accidentally, bumped into the soloists when serving her clientele, they played hot and always surprising music." As the crowning glory of a tour that had already gone extremely satisfactorily for everyone, a concert was organized at the Olympia (where the so-called "Jazz Wednesdays" took place). Byrd and Co. took the whole thing very seriously, although they maintained their relaxed approach, which their (relatively) long-lasting connection now allowed them: "La Marseillaise" and "And The Angels Sing" are both currently in the introduction to "Parisian Thoroughfare", played by the two winds. The latter subsequently imitated the horns of the cars of 52nd Street ...
However, when "Stardust" was reached, it happened with the utmost seriousness, in an almost meditative way, that Donald Byrd improvised against the background of Walter Davis Jr. and Doug Watkins. Bobby Jaspar was great, of course. Even though he clearly showed himself to be in the allegiance of Sonny Rollins, he had retained the virtue of sobriety that saved him from falling into the trap of playing cascades of sounds at a fast pace ("At This Time", for example). When switching to "Formidable", it would be forgivable to say that he trumps Donald Byrd. Due to the prevailing complicity between the members of the rhythm section, the formation acquired a homogeneous character, which rarely occurred in a quintet. You can't thank François Postif enough for taking the risk of releasing this concert. Now, almost half a century later, one can only agree with Jazz Magazine's critic regarding the Donald Byrd Quintet: "The only thing missing (...) were the consecrations that a big concert in Paris would bring. They won this last battle with surprising liveliness in front of an audience of connoisseurs. Many of those present felt that modern jazz had never been so well presented in Paris."

Features:

• 180g Vinyl
• Limited Edition
• Double insert inside
• Mono

Musicians:

• Doug Watkins, bass
• Art Taylor, drums
• Walter Davis Junior, piano
• Bobby Jaspar, tenor saxophone
• Donald Byrd, trumpet

Selections:

Side A
1. Salt Peanuts
2. Parisian Thoroughfare
3. Start Dust
4. 52nd Street Theme
Side B
1. At this time
2. Formidable
3. Two Bass Hit
4. Salt Peanuts

Recorded live on October 22, 1958 at the Olympia, Paris