This CD compilation collects three separate sessions recorded by
Donald Byrd and
Doug Watkins for Transition with various small groups. The 1955 recordings (first issued under the title
Byrd's Eye View) were made shortly after
Byrd replaced
Kenny Dorham in the Jazz Messengers, all of whom (
Horace Silver,
Art Blakey, and
Hank Mobley, along with
Byrd and
Watkins) are present, with the addition of local trumpeter
Joe Gordon as a guest on two tracks. The half-dozen songs mix an improvised blues ("Doug's Blues"), a favorite from the swing era ("Crazy Rhythm"), a ballad feature for
Byrd and
Mobley ("Everything Happens to Me"), plus a pair of potent hard bop pieces contributed by the tenor saxophonist. The second session, recorded at engineer Stephen Fassett's Beacon Hill home, features two local musicians (pianist Ray Santisis and drummer
Jimmy Zitano) joining
Byrd and
Watkins; it was first released as
Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill. This set is heavily ballad-oriented, with the exception of the surprising choice of
Joe Sullivan's "Little Rock Getaway."
Byrd sits out both "People Will Say We're in Love" and "What's New." The final of the three sessions in this two-CD set marks the bassist's debut release (
Watkins at Large), and it proves to be the most interesting.
Hank Mobley,
Kenny Burrell,
Duke Jordan, and
Art Taylor are on hand, with the music including a piece written for a 1953 movie soundtrack (Dmitri Tomkin's "Return to Paradise"),
Thad Jones' pulsating "More of the Same," as well as originals contributed by both
Burrell and
Jordan. These three enjoyable but often overlooked studio dates from the early days of hard bop make this reissue well worth purchasing. ~ Ken Dryden