Jaki Byard – “Parisian Thoroughfare”
Jaki Byard – “Memories Of You”
From “The Jaki Byard Experience” : 1968 : Prestige PR 7615
It is easy to see why Jaki Byard’s collaboration with Roland Kirk (in his pre-Rahsaan days) resulted in one of his finest albums. Besides being one of the great unsung pianists in jazz history, Byard’s solo output is often overlooked in comparison with his contemporaries. The album opener, the Bud Powell classic Parisian Thoroughfare, starts off like a fist fight between the band, but then evolves into a beautiful and emotional rendition of the oft-covered tune. Shine on Me is a traditional early jazz tune given a nice modern twist, while the real gem of the album might be the duet between Byard and Kirk on the standard Memories of You (check out Kirk’s tone on the saxophone!). It is obvious that these two ultra-talented guys enjoyed and respected each other’s company in the studio and it really comes through both on the duet and the album as a whole.
Players:
Jaki Byard – Piano
Roland Kirk – Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Manzello, Whistle, Kirkbam
Richard Davis – Bass
Alan Dawson – Drums
