That old
Django Reinhardt buff
Charlie Byrd actually gets something resembling the drive of the Hot Club Quintette on this CD at times, but with unusual means. With
Charlie on acoustic guitar and brother Joe Byrd on bass,
Charlie's longtime drummer
Chuck Redd shifts over to the vibraphone, and the three independent voices tumble intricately all around each other in a collection of standards. While not absolutely impeccable in technique,
Byrd continues to get around his instrument in a swinging manner, and
Redd proves to be a more than serviceable performer on the vibes. Inevitably (for
Byrd), the Brazilian influence surfaces on tracks like "On a Clear Day,"
Jobim's "If You Never Came to Me," and
Rodgers/
Hart's "There's a Small Hotel," all of which bring us gently back to 1962. A modest yet pleasing experiment for the
Charlie Byrd collector. ~ Richard S. Ginell