Donald Byrd (1932-2013)

Donald Byrd died on February 4 in Dover, DE. He was 80. He was the last survivor among the great trumpeters of the hard bop era of the '50s and '60s, a short list that includes Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard.

Donald Byrd was born in Detroit on December 9, 1932. He completed an undergraduate degree in music at Wayne State University. After two years in the Air Force, he moved to New York to seek his fortune. His first recording was probably Bohemia After Dark, a 1955 Savoy session led by drummer Kenny Clarke. Like many of his contemporaries, he did an apprenticeship with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1955-1956.

Byrd was one of the most frequently recorded jazz musicians of his time. His long tenure with Blue Note Records from 1958 to 1976 produced 24 albums in his name, and many others as a sideman. He also recorded for Columbia, Prestige, Riverside and Verve, among others. He had a long association with baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, with whom he co-led a group from 1958-1961. Mosaic released a boxed set, The Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Studio Sessions, 1958-1967, which is now out of print. Here are two selections from that period.

He was an informal advisor to his peers, helping them to retain publishing rights and royalties from their music.

In the '70s, his career took a turn toward commercial success as he began recording jazz-rock-R&B fusion. His CD Black Byrd was Blue Note's all time best-selling album for many years, and three of his songs made the R&B charts. His music of this period was not well received by jazz critics. You can judge for yourself.

During his later years, Byrd worked primarily as a teacher. He earned a Ph.D. in  Education in 1982. He taught jazz at several universities, and he also studied law. He recorded sporadically in the '80s and '90s, returning to the musical approach that made him one of the great jazzmen of the '60s.