Album Reviews

Riverside issued this Charlie Byrd album in 1960, two years before his collaboration with Stan Getz on the classic Jazz Samba (Verve V6-8432), which has been reissued by both DCC Compact Classics and Speakers Corner (still in print, I believe).

Based in Washington D.C. for much of his career, Byrd gigged around town with his trio featuring bassist Keter Betts and drummer Buddy Deppenschmidt and used a local recording facility, Edgewood Studios, to record this set.

Shortly thereafter, on a State Department tour of South America, he discovered Bossa Nova. Upon returning, he contacted Getz and the rest is history.

Though it lacks Jazz Samba’s indelible A&R choices from then unknown (in America at least) songwriters like Antonio Carlos Jobim and its thematic cohesion, The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd offers a compact, conservatively chosen set of well-worn standards along with a few originals.

While you may think you don’t need to hear yet another rendition of “Taking a Chance on Love,” “Moonlight in Vermont,” or “Makin’ Whoopee” the trio whips these short trifles into pleasing, and often surprisingly challenging confections, made all the more attractive by absolutely stupendous sound.

Of course while Byrd’s breathtakingly crisp and clean jazz/classical guitar fretwork is sufficient to keep one’s ears occupied, it’s the rhythm section of Betts and Deppenschmidt that ignites the set and gets the feet tapping.

Betts and Deppenschmidt contribute to Jazz Samba as well, and though it was recorded in a church, the remote was produced by Edgewood Recording Studio, where this studio album was recorded.

This is a big sounding album, immediate, dynamic and incredibly natural sounding. Byrd’s dazzling fretwork will keep you engaged throughout, aided by the crystalline pure recording. If the strings sound steel, your system needs some work.

If you are unfamiliar with Jazz Samba I can’t say this is a better place to start delving into Charlie Byrd’s work, but if you’ve got that classic and love it, you’ll dig this too, for the music and the dynamically bold, harmonically rich inviting sound.

Not an “important” jazz record, but a great one, musically and sonically and one that can provide the “backstory” to Jazz Samba for its many fans.